bliss
1 Americannoun
-
supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment.
wedded bliss.
- Antonyms:
- misery
-
Theology. the joy of heaven.
-
heaven; paradise.
the road to eternal bliss.
-
Archaic. a cause of great joy or happiness.
idioms
noun
-
Sir Arthur (Edward Drummond), 1891–1975, English composer.
-
Tasker Howard, 1853–1930, U.S. general.
noun
-
perfect happiness; serene joy
-
the ecstatic joy of heaven
noun
Synonym Usage
See happiness.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bliss
First recorded before 1000; Middle English blisse, Old English bliss, blīths, equivalent to blīthe blithe + -s suffix
Explanation
Bliss is a state of complete happiness or joy. Marriage is often associated with this joyous feeling: people who are married and still in love are described as living in wedded bliss. Another common association is heaven or paradise, as in eternal bliss. Bliss is from Middle English blisse, from Old English bliss, blīths. The final -s in this Old English word is actually a suffix and the word itself is related to blīthe, the source of modern English blithe, which means happy.
Vocabulary lists containing bliss
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Enjoy! Synonyms for "Pleasure"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When it works, as it does on “She’s a Rainbow” and “2000 Light Years From Home,” candy-colored bliss follows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
You don’t want to alienate your mom or dad, or make them feel that you don’t support their late-in-life shot at romantic bliss.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
That was the bliss before the brick wall of America.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Recalling the series' highlight, when he unexpectedly found himself up close with a group of mountain gorillas, Attenborough described the experience as "bliss" and "extraordinary".
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Not when we married, carefree, drenched in bliss, on an oddly wintry May day seven years ago.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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“You want to send lots and lots of data?” said Daniel Bliss, an engineering professor at Arizona State University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
I spoke to Deptford’s lord mayor, Sir Barnubus Bliss, about what’s most important to him about folks experiencing the fair closest to L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Season 4 united Tiffany Pennywell and Brett Brown; their marriage is still going strong, as are those of fellow participants Chelsea Griffin and Kwame Appiah, and Bliss Poureetezadi and Zack Goytowski.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
Before all these warehouse purchases, there was a turn toward facilities like Camp East Montana, which is this enormous facility that was stood up just last August within Fort Bliss, near El Paso, Texas.
From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2026
On the same day, Bliss told reporters that “the wound looks better than at any time yet,” and the official bulletin described the president as "somewhat restless” and "tranquil.”
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.