feel-good

American

[feel-good] / ˈfilˌgʊd /

adjective

Informal. intended to make one happy or satisfied.

a feel-good movie; feel-good politics.

feel-good British

adjective

causing or characterized by a feeling of self-satisfaction

feel-good factor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of feel-good

An Americanism dating back to 1975–80

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.

What my experiment suggests is that the human qualities most likely to matter are not the feel-good ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Fabio Cannavaro: Perhaps a wild card but what better way to attempt to restore a feel-good factor to Italian football than appoint a national legend.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The overbooking conundrum builds to a sentimental speech from Kermit and a feel-good ending set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Disney's feel-good animated film "Zootopia 2" showed its staying power, moving up to third place at $12 million over the four-day weekend.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

Bringing Powers back home would not exactly change the course of the Cold War, but it would be a feel-good story for Americans.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023