deleitar
delight
Causar mucho gusto o alegría a una persona.
Definition & meaning
Deleitar is a Spanish verb meaning “to delight,” “to please greatly,” “to give great enjoyment,” or “to gratify.” It describes causing someone intense pleasure, often through beauty, taste, music, art, or an enjoyable experience.
- La música deleita al público. — “The music delights the audience.”
- El chef deleitó a sus invitados. — “The chef delighted his guests.”
It is also commonly used reflexively as deleitarse, meaning “to take great pleasure in,” “to enjoy,” or “to revel in” something.
- Se deleita con la lectura. — “He or she takes great pleasure in reading.”
- Nos deleitamos contemplando el paisaje. — “We delighted in contemplating the landscape.”
The word often sounds somewhat literary, elegant, or expressive. In everyday speech, disfrutar is frequently more natural.
Grammar & Word origin
Deleitar is a regular -ar verb.
Present-tense examples:
- yo deleito — I delight
- tú deleitas — you delight
- él/ella deleita — he/she delights
It can be used:
-
Transitively, with a direct object:
La película deleitó a los espectadores. — “The film delighted the spectators.” -
Reflexively, as deleitarse, usually followed by con , en , or a gerund:
Se deleitaron con la comida. — “They greatly enjoyed the food.”
It comes from the Latin verb dēlectāre, meaning “to charm,” “to delight,” or “to please.” It is related to the Spanish noun deleite , meaning “delight” or “great pleasure,” and delicia , meaning “delight” or “delicacy.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- encantar — “to delight” or “to love.” This is very common and often stronger or more enthusiastic in everyday language.
- fascinar — “to fascinate.” It emphasizes strong interest or attraction, rather than pure pleasure.
- agradar — “to please” or “to be pleasing.” It is more neutral and less intense than deleitar.
- complacer — “to please” or “to satisfy.” It often focuses on fulfilling someone’s wishes or expectations.
- disfrutar — “to enjoy.” It usually describes the person experiencing pleasure, whereas deleitar often describes something causing that pleasure.
Antonyms
- aburrir — “to bore,” the clearest opposite when something fails to provide enjoyment.
- disgustar — “to disgust” or “to displease,” expressing a strong negative reaction.
- desagradar — “to displease,” a relatively neutral opposite of agradar and deleitar.
- molestar — “to bother” or “to annoy,” focusing on irritation rather than lack of pleasure.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
El chef logró deleitar a todos con su plato especial.verb
The chef managed to delight everyone with his special dish.
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