clearly delighted

USAGE SUMMARY

"clearly delighted" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use the phrase to describe someone who has expressed happiness or pleasure in a very obvious way. For example: "The audience was clearly delighted by the performance."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Arts

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Popovic was reserved but clearly delighted.

The Guardian - Sport

They are clearly delighted to be back.

The Guardian - Music

Maze, meanwhile, was clearly delighted to have beaten Vonn.

The New York Times - Sports

Mr. Moonves was clearly delighted to have Mr. Reynolds back.

The New York Times

Pi is clearly delighted to carry on that tradition.

The Guardian - Sport

Pellegrini was clearly delighted to reach the final against Liverpool.

The Guardian - Sport

A clearly delighted Ferguson was left spluttering: "He nearly killed me, he forgets that I'm 71".

Independent

A clearly delighted Moran told Attitude, "There's very little about me that's straight.

Independent

• The health of television as an ad medium clearly delighted another speaker at the conference.

The New York Times

Her decision to join has clearly delighted LBC's owner, Global Radio.

The Guardian

He is clearly delighted to be seizing the lifeline thrown from St James Parkk.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "clearly delighted" to explicitly show a character or subject's positive emotional reaction to something. It adds a layer of emphasis beyond simply saying they were 'delighted'.

Common error

Avoid using "clearly delighted" for situations where the emotion is only mildly positive or subtly expressed. Reserve it for instances where the joy is overt and easily noticeable.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "clearly delighted" functions as an adverbial modifier intensifying the adjective 'delighted'. It serves to emphasize the obviousness and intensity of someone's happiness or pleasure, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Sport

20%

Arts

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Science

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "clearly delighted" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to express obvious happiness or pleasure. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in a variety of contexts, particularly in news and media, sports, and the arts. Its neutral register makes it suitable for diverse forms of communication. When writing, remember to use "clearly delighted" when the emotion is visibly and strongly expressed and to consider alternatives like "evidently pleased" or "plainly thrilled" to add variety to your language.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

evidently pleased

Emphasizes the obviousness of the pleasure, similar to "clearly delighted".

plainly thrilled

Replaces 'delighted' with 'thrilled' to amplify the excitement and uses 'plainly' for clarity.

visibly elated

Focuses on the visible manifestation of elation, making it a strong synonym.

patently overjoyed

Indicates that the joy is undeniable and obvious, much like being "clearly delighted".

unmistakably pleased

Highlights the lack of ambiguity in their pleased state.

noticeably gratified

Emphasizes that the gratification is easily observed.

markedly cheerful

Focuses on the significant increase in cheerfulness.

distinctly happy

Highlights the clear and noticeable happiness.

unquestionably thrilled

Indicates the thrill is absolute and without doubt.

palpably pleased

Conveys that the feeling of pleasure is so strong it can almost be touched or felt by others.

FAQs

How can I use "clearly delighted" in a sentence?

You can use "clearly delighted" to describe someone's obvious happiness or pleasure. For instance, "She was "clearly delighted" by the surprise party."

What are some alternatives to "clearly delighted"?

Alternatives include "evidently pleased", "plainly thrilled", or "visibly elated", each emphasizing the obviousness of the positive emotion.

Is it redundant to use "very clearly delighted"?

Adding "very" may be redundant as "clearly" already implies a high degree of visibility. Consider the context, but often ""clearly delighted"" is sufficient.

What's the difference between "clearly delighted" and "obviously happy"?

"Clearly delighted" specifically conveys pleasure or joy, while "obviously happy" is a more general expression of happiness. "Clearly delighted" implies a specific cause for the positive emotion.