Joyously
adv.joyful, energeticliterary
What it means
With great happiness and a sense of celebration.
Reach for it when describing an openly exultant action in elevated prose
Bells rang joyously when the rescue boat returned.
Choose between these
6- playful
lively playful delight animates the action
not when Gleefully may sound mischievous or juvenile.
- everyday
moderate pleasure or willingness is sufficient
not when Happily lacks the strong celebratory force of joyously.
- warm
natural heartfelt happiness is the intended manner
not when Joyfully is more common and less ceremonially elevated.
- professional
with great joy
plain explicit language is preferable to a rare adverb
not when The phrase is longer but avoids a literary tone that may not fit.
- formal
triumph and public rejoicing follow a success
not when Jubilantly is wrong when happiness is tender rather than victorious.
- literary
exultantly
intense triumph is the precise emotion
not when Exultantly can imply triumph over others and is stronger than joyously.
Said against
3- sadly
- mournfully
- somberly
It naturally appears in
3- ring joyously
The restored bells ring joyously on the town's founding day.
- joyously welcomed
The travelers were joyously welcomed after the road reopened.
- joyously celebrated
The team joyously celebrated the result and thanked the opposing crew.
The word family
2Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English adverb sense: in a joyous manner opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.