take delight in

IPA/tˈeɪk dɪlˈaɪt ˈɪn/
IPA/tˈeɪk dᵻlˈaɪt ˈɪn/

take delight in — idiom

1. to feel great happiness and satisfaction from doing something you love, or from

1.idiomB2
Definition

to feel great happiness and satisfaction from doing something you love, or from experiencing something that pleases you deeply

Example

Nia takes great delight in watching her garden grow every spring.

take + adjective + delight in + V-ing

The children took obvious delight in building sandcastles along the shore.

collocation: took obvious delight in

Common collocations
  • take great delight in
  • take obvious delight in
  • take a mischievous delight in
  • take quiet delight in
Synonyms
  • revel in

    stronger and slightly more dramatic; implies enthusiastic enjoyment

  • delight in

    shorter, verb form of the same idea; slightly more literary

  • glory in

    implies pride and satisfaction alongside pleasure

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

take delight in + V-ing

take delight in + noun phrase

take + (adjective) + delight in

Usage Note

Often used with a possessive determiner (my, his, her, their) or an adjective before 'delight': 'She takes great delight in...' / 'He took a mischievous delight in proving them wrong.' The gerund (-ing form) is the most common structure after 'in', though a noun phrase is also possible: 'He takes delight in other people's misfortunes.'

Common Mistakes

She takes delight to cook for her family.
She takes delight in cooking for her family.
After the preposition 'in', use the gerund (-ing form), not the infinitive.
I take delight from reading classic novels.
I take delight in reading classic novels.
The fixed preposition in this idiom is 'in', not 'from'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: idiom/1

All three express strong enjoyment, but they differ in tone and use. 'Take delight in' is the most neutral and versatile — it works in both writing and speech, and can describe hobbies, children's play, or intellectual pursuits. 'Revel in' suggests a more intense, almost celebratory enjoyment, often of something slightly rebellious or indulgent (e.g. 'She reveled in the chaos she had created'). 'Delight in' is the verb form, slightly more literary and compact, often used with the simple present or past tense ('He delights in correcting small errors'). Use 'take delight in' for everyday situations, 'revel in' when the enjoyment is especially vivid or defiant, and 'delight in' when you want a more formal or poetic tone.

take delight in ↗revel in ↗delight in ↗

Etymology

Old NorseOld EnglishOld FrenchLatinEnglish

This phrase combines 'take' (from Old English tacan, borrowed from Old Norse taka 'to grasp, lay hold of') with 'delight' (from Old French delitier, ultimately from Latin delectare 'to charm, to please'). The pattern 'take + emotion noun + in' has been a productive structure in English since the Middle English period (compare 'take pleasure in', 'take pride in', 'take comfort in', 'take interest in'), where 'take' functions as a light verb carrying grammatical information while the noun carries the core meaning.