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Enjoyable Vs Enjoyful, Which Of These Is Correct?

Enjoyable Vs Enjoyful, Which Of These Is Correct?

Finding the correct choice of words on certain occasions might be challenging, especially if you are required to express your emotions and thoughts. When speaking about how pleased someone is, we should question which is the accurate word to use? Enjoyable or Enjoyful?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, the word “enjoyable” is an adjective that expresses a feeling of joy or pleasure. On the other hand, the word “enjoyful” is technically not a term based on extensive research. It does not appear in the dictionary, which makes it a questionable word choice.

So, in this case, should we even use the term “enjoyful”? If not, why is it equally as common as “enjoyable”?

Maybe you have heard this word at your work, or perhaps, you thought it was an actual term in the dictionary. But if we research more on why it’s popular, I infer it is because people confuse it with the word “joyful,” which is the correct word. The reason why “enjoyful” is grammatically incorrect is due to the fact that the suffix “ful” cannot be used on verbs, only on nouns to change them into adjectives. In simple words, it doesn’t make sense to use it since an accurate alternative exists, which is “joyful”.

enjoyable word spelled with blocks

Usage And Critical Differences:

Indeed, the terms “enjoyable” and “joyful” share similarities with each other because they are associated with the topic of pleasure. Regardless of them being alike, the difference relies on the usage of these words, depending on the purpose of the sentence or expression. For example, “joyful” is related to feelings of happiness and cheerfulness. On the other hand, “enjoyable” expresses pleasure and amusement. So depending on the phrase, one is better than the other based on the type of emotion you want to communicate.

Sentence Examples:

After briefly explaining the meaning of the term, you would see a couple of sentence examples with the word “enjoyable”:

  • I want to thank all for organizing this enjoyable event. The attendees left with a big smile on their faces, which means that we accomplished our goal.
  • After a long time without seeing her best friend, they were able to catch up and have an enjoyable chat this afternoon.
  • Even though junk food is delicious and enjoyable, it is harmful to people’s health, especially if it’s eaten often.
  • Before traveling, she should consider the number of items she’s bringing with her, because the lighter the weight of her suitcase, the more enjoyable and easy the trip will be.
  • She found traveling and eating exquisite food delightful. One of her most enjoyable trips was to Italy, where she tasted authentic Italian pasta.
  • The most enjoyable part of Spirited Away is the beautiful animations shown throughout the movie and Chihiro’s interesting yet entertaining adventures.
  •  Even though the current workload is heavy and stressful, there are many ways to break it down into simpler and more enjoyable tasks.
  • Netflix is one of the top streaming services because its variety of TV shows and movies makes it an entertaining and enjoyable experience.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition was creative and enjoyable, according to several attendees.
  • Whether his intentions were genuine or questionable, his compliments towards her made the rest of the vacation more enjoyable.
  • The teacher had some games incorporated into the classroom that made the students have an enjoyable time learning with spreadsheets, drawings, and quizzes.
  • The character development throughout the movie lacks deepness and realness which made the primary and secondary characters less enjoyable due to their irritating personality.
  • Participating in your alma mater’s sports team with friends can make the college experience enjoyable. However, it is also stimulating, great for reducing stress, and on top of that, representing your university.

Now, a couple of sentences with the word “joyful” that you can use for your writings or day-to-day conversations.

  • This upcoming holiday season would be a joyful experience since people will start shopping for their family and friends and dressing up nicely.
  • The engagement party is a joyful celebration to toast the couple’s new relationship status and shower them with gifts, music, delicious food, and compliments from the guests.
  • In Japanese, Kosen, or “Colleges of Technology,” gives higher educations to junior high school graduates. According to Japanese students, this is a joyful experience, yet sometimes it can be stressful due to challenging homework and the need to meet certain expectations.
  • The baby experienced a joyful feeling when he heard his mom sing the lullaby.
  • He feels joyful with simple things in life, such as the warmth of the morning sunlight and a cup of coffee.
  • It’s essential to form a solid romantic relationship; the couple should prioritize effective and joyful communication.
  • Her whole energy and presence when she enters the room make people feel joyful about her.

Synonyms and Antonyms

Enjoyable synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms: Delightful, pleasant, agreeable, fun, satisfying, gratifying, pleasurable, likable, wonderful, fabulous, brilliant, fantastic, lovely, delicate, blessed, dreamy, felicitous, grateful, heavenly, nice, harmonious, delicious, sweet, tasty, savory, alluring, attractive, desirable, charming, enchanting, fascinating, comforting, soothing, and good.

Antonyms: disagreeable, dull, hateful, bad, unhappy, unsatisfying, unpleasant, dull, unamusing, obnoxious, undesirable, displeasing, uncool, unlovely, angering, unsavory, wretched, disgusting, repulsive, vile, detestable, dolorous, lamentable, tragic, annoying and tiring.

people watching a movie example of enjoyable

Joyful synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms: Cheerful, glad, thankful festive, gratified, delighted, high, pleased, satisfied, upbeat, jubilant, ecstatic, heartening, overjoyed, jolly, upbeat, positive, happy, hopeful, euphoric, optimistic, confident, and joyous.

Antonyms: sad, depressing, down, gloomy, unhappy, sorrowful, miserable, upset, unpleasant, serious, painful, down, distressing, brokenhearted, grieved, dark, displeased, joyless, unsatisfied, melancholy, disheartened, downhearted, blue, gloomy, and tragic.

Origin of the word

An interesting fact about the word “enjoyable”, is its etymology. It roots in the Old Anglo-French word “enjoir/enjoier,” which means “to give pleasure or produce joy,” about late 14th century. Around the 1640s, it transformed into “enjoyable,” which refers to the capability of being enjoyed. There are also some traces in Middle English, using a similar word which was “enjoien.”

The word “enjoy” is a derivative of the term “joy,” which is closely related.When it comes to the phrase “joy,” it has its origin in various languages. For example, in Middle English from the Anglo-French word “joie,” in Latin as “gaudia,” and its plural form “Gaudium” comes from the word “Gaudere” which means “rejoice .”

Conclusion

As we can see, the answer to the question “Which of these is correct” is more simple than it should be. The word “enjoyable” expresses a feeling of satisfaction or pleasure. On the other hand, “Enjoyful” is technically not a word since it doesn’t appear in the dictionary (Unless you count the Urban dictionary as legitimate).

So, what if I want to use the word “enjoyful,” but I don’t want to sound informal? Then, in that case, the correct word to use would be “joyful.”

Even though both of these terms are related to one another, there’s a critical difference between them. The word “joyful” is often used to express a feeling of happiness, joy, or rejoice. However, “enjoyable” represents satisfaction or pleasure. So depending on the usage, one of the two would be correct. It is necessary to understand this to know the correct word choice depending on the situation. So for example, if you are at an event, you can use “This wedding was an enjoyable event”. If you want to talk about something that makes you feel cheerful, you can say “Travelling around the world and experiencing new things makes me feel joyful about the things in life.