contented
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contented
Explanation
If you're contented, you're happy and not complaining. In the early 1900s, a dairy company cleverly used the word in their advertising slogan — "Milk from contented cows." Who wouldn't like to imagine cows without a care, contented and grazing in sunny, green pastures, every now and then emitting a satisfied moo? The company, which is still in business, became known by that slogan, which they used for many years. They even sponsored a radio show called "The Contented Hour," broadcast from 1931 until 1951.
Vocabulary lists containing contented
"Two Kinds"
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"The First Day of School," Vocabulary from the short story
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Smiley Face: Synonyms for "Happy"
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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.
Ms. Maura plays Maria Ángeles, a contented widow who is a much-respected resident of the ethnically Spanish enclave in Tangier, Morocco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
Rather, that contented knowing seasons the confidence with which O’Hara shaped all of her women, whether mothers or, like Patty Leigh in “The Studio,” mother figures.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
She’d jump in the car happily, give her captor a toothy grin and then curl into a contented nap, probably dreaming of her next escape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
He’s the contented “Innie” to the miserable “Outie” version of himself, the one so paralyzed by his wife’s death that he chose to surgically divorce his work life from the mess of his personal time.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2025
She spent each contented night by the fire, learning from her gran to prepare and mix remedies.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
