Joy, Sue, Pearl, Dotty (8)
I believe the answer is:
pleasure
'joy' is the definition.
('pleasure' can be a synonym of 'joy')
'sue pearl dotty' is the wordplay.
'dotty' indicates an anagram.
'sue'+'pearl'='suepearl'
'suepearl' is an anagram of 'PLEASURE'.
(Other definitions for pleasure that I've seen before include "Enjoyment, happiness" , "Feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction" , "Gratification of the senses" , "entertainment" , "A very desirable feeling" .)