delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing.
I'm so happy to see you!
characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy.
a happy mood;
a happy frame of mind.
willing to be helpful, as with assistance, a contribution, or participation.
We’ll be happy to bring a couple of salads to the party.
favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky.
Our home country is a happy, fruitful land.
(used as part of an expression of good wishes on a special occasion).
Happy Valentine’s Day to my husband.
Happy Birthday, Grandpa!
apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas.
Their collaboration was a happy accident.
obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination).
He was a trigger-happy gangster.
Everybody is gadget-happy these days.
feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased
willing
I'd be happy to show you around
causing joy or gladness
fortunate; lucky
the happy position of not having to work
aptly expressed; appropriate
a happy turn of phrase
informal (postpositive) slightly intoxicated
What is a basic definition of happy? Happy describes a feeling of joy, delight, or glee. It also describes something that is related to or shows joy. Happy can describe someone being willing to do something or be helpful. Happy is used in many expressions that wish good tidings to another person. Happy has a few other senses as an adjective. Happy describes feeling really good, as when a person in a good mood that makes them smile. Happiness refers to this positive emotion. Happily means in a happy way. Real-life examples: Everybody has something that makes them happy. Cute animals, presents, compliments, and loved ones make most people feel happy. Used in a sentence: The surprise birthday party really made Abdul happy. Happy also describes something that shows or is related to feelings of happiness and joy. Used in a sentence: The friendly clown had a happy smile. Happy describes someone being willing to do something, especially to help or assist someone else. They don’t think whatever they will do is a problem or a chore. Real-life examples: Many experts are happy to show off their knowledge. Salespeople are often happy to explain things to customers if it means selling more items. Used in a sentence: I’d be happy to give you a ride to the mall since I was going there anyway. The word happy is used in many greetings and expressions that wish a person well or wish that they have a good future. Used in a sentence: Happy birthday!
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English; see origin at hap 1 ( def. ), -y 1 ( def. )
Happy is a feeling of joy, pleasure, or good fortune — exactly how you'd feel if you learned that you won the lottery or got accepted into your number one choice of colleges. Happy hails from the Middle English word hap, meaning "good luck." Many of the early European words for happy actually referred to good luck, rather than a feeling of joy. On its own, happy means an enjoyable or satisfied state of being. When hyphenated, it can refer to an overwhelming inclination to do something. Someone who is trigger-happy, for example, has an overwhelming urge to shoot things, while a clothes-happy person is obsessed with taking trips to the mall.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kennedy recalled telling Reagan that he and his wife Mary were happy in Sacramento where all their friends and family lived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Maybe we aren’t happy because others appear happy?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"We are very happy and very excited" to welcome him back, said Eva Amador, 56, a supporter of the former president, as she held a banner on Sunday with a message thanking Trump.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
For Jennifer Garner’s Hollis Shaw, the influencer around whom “The Five-Star Weekend” revolves, the kitchen is her happy place and moneymaker.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
“I’m happy to hear that. How’s your anxiety been? Have you needed to make use of any of the strategies we practiced?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Gasped Dr. Cook: "Thanks -happy," sank back into a coma.
From Time Magazine Archive
If that rings a bell, it’s the Easterlin Paradox from 1974, which noted that although the rich are happier than the poor, happiness doesn’t increase as national income grows over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
In happier news, rising case counts have jump-started research into drugs that could treat people who do get sick, including antibody and antiviral therapies.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Having less responsibility doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be happier, and you may not feel any more satisfied with your work.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
People could not be happier for each other, and we get to celebrate the show together.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mother, working shorter hours once again, looked happier than she had for a long time.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Doom Scroll: Disney is the happiest place on Earth, unless you’re the designated scroller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
As her mother explained, B.P.J. “is the happiest I have ever seen her when she is accepted for who she is and able to participate in school sports.”
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
A man who has taken the same holiday for 61 years says he has been rewarded with some of his happiest memories.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Hockney would remember this period as one of his most prolific and happiest times in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
“So you might also be the happiest of men?”
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
