joyeux

Joyeux is a French adjective meaning full of joy, and by extension cheerful or merry. It describes people, moods, or things associated with happiness. The masculine singular form is joyeux; the feminine singular is joyeuse; the masculine plural is joyeux and the feminine plural is joyeuses. In usage, it often appears in everyday language and in common greetings such as Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) and Joyeux anniversaire (Happy Birthday).

Etymology and form: The word derives from Old French joie, meaning joy, which itself traces back to Latin gaudium. The suffix -eux is a productive French ending that forms adjectives indicating a state or quality, yielding the sense “full of” or “having the quality of.”

Usage and context: In contemporary French, joyeux operates as a standard descriptive adjective, agreeing with gender and number of the noun it modifies (un homme joyeux, une femme joyeuse, des gens joyeux). It also appears in fixed expressions and holiday greetings, where it conveys goodwill. Although primarily a French term, joyeux can surface in names or titles as a surname or part of branding.

Notable variants and related terms: The feminine form is joyeuse, and the plural forms are joyeux (masculine) and joyeuses (feminine). Related adjectives include joyeux, gai, and heureux, which share overlapping nuances of happiness and cheerfulness.