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
Related Words
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.
“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
By the next day, records show that Geraldo Lunas Campos had died at the facility, marking the second fatality in weeks at the hastily constructed Fort Bliss Army tent structure known as Camp East Montana.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 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
When Bliss finally permitted it, Garfield was lifted onto a reclining chair by the window so that he had a better view outside.
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.