contentment
Americannoun
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the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.
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Archaic. the act of making contentedly satisfied.
Related Words
See happiness.
Other Word Forms
- overcontentment noun
- precontentment noun
Etymology
Origin of contentment
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English contentement, from Middle French; content 2 ( def. ), -ment ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does contentment compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. On Thanksgiving when you think about all you are grateful for, hopefully you feel a sense of contentment. If not, have another piece of pie and then you’ll feel contentment. Contentment isn’t an excited kind of happy, it’s more like a peaceful ease of mind. It’s being satisfied with what you have, whatever that is. You might feel a sense of contentment knowing you have a cup of hot chocolate and a good movie to look forward to tonight. Or you might experience contentment thinking about the vast estate you just purchased in the Hamptons. Whatever is going on in your life, you’re pleased about it.
Vocabulary lists containing contentment
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Words for the International Day of Happiness
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Excerpts from "To Kill a Mockingbird"
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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.
We see her at the beginning of “Calle Málaga” in a state of smiling contentment, walking her neighborhood streets and being greeted by vendors.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
‘We chase happiness when what we should be seeking is contentment.’
From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026
There is a sense of being "overwhelmed with the emotion" in contrast to other forms of happiness, such as comfort or contentment.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026
How do you define happiness, and is that the same as contentment?
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
“I don’t think I’ve ever known what you people call happiness. We think of contentment as the desirable thing, and maybe that’s negative.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
