felicity
noun
the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.
felicity
1 American
[fi-lis-i-tee]
/ fɪˈlɪs ɪ ti /
noun
-
felicities
plural
-
the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.
marital felicity.
-
an instance of this.
-
a source of happiness.
-
a skillful faculty.
felicity of expression.
-
an instance or display of this.
the many felicities of the poem.
-
Archaic. good fortune.
Felicity
2
American
[fi-lis-i-tee]
/ fɪˈlɪs ɪ ti /
Also
Felicita
noun
felicity
British
/ fɪˈlɪsɪtɪ /
noun
-
happiness; joy
-
a cause of happiness
-
an appropriate expression or style
-
the quality or display of such expressions or style
-
philosophy appropriateness (of a speech act). The performative I appoint you ambassador can only possess felicity if uttered by one in whom the authority for such appointments is vested
Synonym Usage
See happiness.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of felicity
1350–1400; Middle English felicite (from Anglo-French ) from Latin fēlīcitās, equivalent to fēlīci- (stem of fēlīx ) “happy” + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
Felicity is a state of happiness or the quality of joy. Sitting on the roof with a telescope and iced tea on a clear, starry night is one way to find perfect felicity — a happy place. Felicity comes from the Latin fēlīcitās, meaning "happiness." A synonym for felicity is "blissfulness." People, places, and things can have felicity: "His personality was so warm and full of felicity that we felt at ease the minute we met him." Or you can be in a state of felicity: "A full stomach, a fluffy couch, and the felicity of a Sunday-afternoon nap."
Vocabulary lists containing felicity
"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Grade 11, List 3
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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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.
See Examples For:
Blackhawk’s account of Native Americans over the past five centuries is among five nominees for the Mark Lynton History Prize, a $10,000 award given for work which “combines intellectual distinction with felicity of expression.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
Serenity, personal growth and felicity may not be seductive topics for a contemporary R&B record.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
Force its power to be used only for felicity, and it becomes a potent emotional narcotic.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2022
He argued that dirty streets were a welcome sign of prosperity — "a necessary evil, inseparable from the felicity of London."
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2021
I wish his telescopes and mathematical instruments, however, may secure his felicity.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Felicity makes clear that her loyalty is to her future husband, though she keeps everyone against their will at this emergency summit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
“Burn After Reading,” and lastly, it’s a deep cut, there’s this movie called “Like Crazy,” starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
The lead female character has often been played by a British actress - Felicity Kendal took on the role for the show's last West End incarnation in 2015.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
British actress Felicity Jones, who is in best picture nominee Train Dreams, picked pale yellow Prada.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
Was there not a wonderful Felicity here when we were in our great Days?
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Through whatever felicities of matching actor to well-written role, the cast is shown off to particularly good advantage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
Amid these felicities run the contradictions and tensions that have animated film since its inception.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2022
Just a few minutes into “Moonlight,” Jenkins has already created a masterwork, one in which the intensity of emotional experience arises from the nearly microscopic observational felicities that fill the film.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 28, 2016
There are felicities of line, gesture, grouping and humor.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2015
We must endeavor to smile not just with the face upon the sweet felicities of others, but with the heart.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
