happy

[ hap-ee ]

/ ˈhæp i /

adjective, hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est.

delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.

characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy: a happy mood; a happy frame of mind.

willing to be helpful, as with assistance, a contribution, or participation: We’ll be happy to bring a couple of salads to the party.

favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky: a happy, fruitful land.See Synonym Study at fortunate.

(used as part of an expression of good wishes on a special occasion): Happy Valentine’s Day to my husband.Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas.

obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination): He was a trigger-happy gangster. Everybody is gadget-happy these days.

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Question 1 of 9

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Origin of happy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at hap¹, -y¹

SYNONYMS FOR happy

1 joyous, joyful, blithe, cheerful, merry, contented, blissful, satisfied.

4 favorable, propitious; successful, prosperous.

6 appropriate, fitting, opportune, pertinent.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR happy ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR happy

1 sad.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR happy ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM happy

o·ver·hap·py, adjectivequa·si-hap·py, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for happy

He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to federal prison, creating a happy (or happier) ending in a domestic abuse story.
The Worst Question for Abuse Victims|Emily Shire|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Happier news is that the other great icon of modern Britishness, Kate's hair, at least held up today.
Murray Crashes Out Of Wimbledon As Kate And William Watch|Tom Sykes|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The answer keeps coming back the same: Childless couples have happier marriages, on average.
Pope Francis Is Wrong About My Child-Free Life|Amanda Marcotte|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If Putin preferred Tolstoy over Dostoevsky, what a happier, more peaceful place Ukraine would be right now.
How Tolstoy Can Save Putin’s Soul|Andrew D. Kaufman|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Hold your breast close to mine And embrace me because it's cold, and I will be happier.
Drug Cartel Beauty Queens Face an Ugly End|Michael Daly|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a humbler home than that we have just visited, and a happier one.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878|Various
They were no happier than I was then; I'll warrant they are no happier now.
Westward Ho!|Charles Kingsley
Your life will pass quietly and happily in some grateful retreat, all the happier for this storm that now threatens your peace.
Clemence|Retta Babcock
I will make her very happy, Mary; happier than she has ever yet been herself, or ever seen anybody else.
Mansfield Park|Jane Austen
Nobody could write more pointedly, or with happier illustrations, than Bentham in his earlier years.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I.|Leslie Stephen

British Dictionary definitions for happy (1 of 2)

happy

/ (ˈhæpɪ) /

adjective -pier or -piest

feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased

willingI'd be happy to show you around

causing joy or gladness

fortunate; luckythe happy position of not having to work

aptly expressed; appropriatea happy turn of phrase

(postpositive) informal slightly intoxicated

interjection

(in combination)happy birthday; happy Christmas

Derived forms of happy

happily, adverbhappiness, noun

Word Origin for happy

C14: see hap 1, -y 1

British Dictionary definitions for happy (2 of 2)

-happy

adj combining form

denoting excessive enthusiasm for or devotion togun-happy

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

Idioms and Phrases with happy

happy

In addition to the idioms beginning with happy

happy as the day is long
happy camper
happy hour
happy hunting ground
happy medium

also see:

many happy returns
trigger happy

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

happy

adjective, hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est.

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THE OCTOBER WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS HERE TO HAUNT YOU

Origin of happy

SYNONYMS FOR happy

ANTONYMS FOR happy

OTHER WORDS FROM happy

Example sentences from the Web for happy

British Dictionary definitions for happy (1 of 2)

adjective -pier or -piest

interjection

Derived forms of happy

Word Origin for happy

British Dictionary definitions for happy (2 of 2)

adj combining form

Idioms and Phrases with happy

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

happy

adjective, hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est.

QUIZZES

THE OCTOBER WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS HERE TO HAUNT YOU

Origin of happy

SYNONYMS FOR happy

ANTONYMS FOR happy

OTHER WORDS FROM happy

Words related to happy

Example sentences from the Web for happy

British Dictionary definitions for happy (1 of 2)

adjective -pier or -piest

interjection

Derived forms of happy

Word Origin for happy

British Dictionary definitions for happy (2 of 2)

adj combining form

Idioms and Phrases with happy