Be Overjoyed To Do vs. Overjoyed At Something
Be Overjoyed To Do vs. Overjoyed At Something distinguishes two directly documented complement patterns for the adjective “overjoyed.” Use overjoyed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction. The guide stays within those attested patterns and does not infer a broader rule from synonymy.
Use overjoyed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| great happiness linked to an event expressed as an infinitive | overjoyed + to-infinitive | use the infinitive pattern |
| great happiness caused by a named event, result, or circumstance | overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase | use a documented prepositional pattern that fits the sentence |
Quick tests
Event-or-cause test
Are you presenting the joyful event through an infinitive, or naming the result/circumstance that produced the feeling?
If yes: Use “overjoyed to + verb” for the infinitive event.
If no: Use “overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase” for the named cause or circumstance.
Caveat: The source documents more than one prepositional complement; do not reduce the pattern to “at” alone.
Examples
We were overjoyed to hear that the application was approved.
The infinitive presents the event prompting the reaction.
They were overjoyed at the result.
“At” introduces the result causing the happiness.
She was overjoyed by the response and overjoyed to share the news.
The example separates cause from event.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use overjoyed + to-infinitive for the directly documented infinitival construction; use overjoyed at/by/about + noun phrase for the separately documented prepositional construction.
Style Boundary
Treat this as a comparison of directly documented complement patterns, not as a claim that every other complement is impossible. Choose the construction that matches the intended grammatical relationship.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- overjoyed — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for overjoyed + to-infinitive and overjoyed at/by/about + complement