joie de vivre
7
9.6
- noun
- /ˌʒwɑː də ˈviːvrə/
:
alegría de vivir
- I've not been particularly full of the joie de vivre.
- smiling! Such joie de vivre
- brings his own joie de vivre
- joie de vivre spirit
Examples
-
Their enthusiasm, idealism, and joie de vivre can be infectious.
Academic text (2005) -
There was no joie de vivre.
Academic text (2010) -
Another time, maybe, when some of the old joie de vivre had returned.
Fiction book (1995) -
Where was the spirit and joie de vivre of The National Gallery?
Blog text (3) -
We'll resume our long lost joie de vivre
-
A close encounter with death was just the thing to give you back the joie de vivre of extreme youth.
Fiction book (1992) -
Where's the joie de vivre?
-
He was so full of joie de vivre... always laughing and smiling.
-
Kristen's joie de vivre was unmistakable as she attended an event for Breaking Dawn: Part 2 in Japan.
Blog text (32) -
He was so full of joie de vivre that everyone around him felt happier.
Synonyms
793
1.0
A strong feeling of great happiness
288
2.2
A strong feeling of excitement and interest in something
27
6.7
A feeling of strong, happy energy and excitement
21
5.2
Strong, lively enjoyment when doing something
9
1.0
A feeling of being happy and pleased
7
4.6
A strong, lively energy and brightness in people, places, or things
4
6.6
A feeling of cheerful fun and lively excitement
3
3.4
A feeling of energy and excitement that makes people active
1
8.5
A feeling of cheerful, lively energy that people show
1
1.6
A feeling of happiness and energy that makes others feel hopeful
1
2.0
A strong feeling of happiness and excitement
1
6.0
A cheerful, friendly mood that makes people feel good
1
7.5
A cheerful, lively feeling that people show when they enjoy themselves
1
6.5
A strong feeling of great joy that people show openly
1
3.0
A strong feeling of great happiness
A strong, happy energy that makes someone lively
A strong feeling of happy excitement that makes you smile
A feeling of great happiness and pleasure
A happy, light feeling that makes people smile and laugh
A lively, cheerful, and relaxed way of moving or dressing
How Joyful
Surface Forms
Morphology
joie + de + vivre
Although borrowed from French, 'joie de vivre' is transparently compositional: joie = joy, de = of, vivre = to live, yielding 'joy of living' or exuberant enjoyment of life. A B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings (or their close English equivalents) can readily derive the MWE meaning; the construction mirrors common cross‑linguistic 'joy/of/life' patterns.
Etymology
Joie de vivre comes from French words joie and vivre, which mean 'joy' and 'to live', so it literally says 'joy of living'. That's why joie de vivre is used to describe someone who shows 'enjoyment and energy' for life.