happy
delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: I'm so happy to see you!
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: Our home country is a happy, fruitful land.
(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: Their collaboration was a happy accident.
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.
Idioms about happy
happy as a clam. See entry at happy as a clam.
Origin of happy
1Other words for happy
Opposites for happy
Other words from happy
- o·ver·hap·py, adjective
- qua·si-hap·py, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use happy in a sentence
This is not always the happiest fate for an American artist.
The Dude is at his happiest when he has a few minutes of solitude and rest to get high and listen to whale sounds.
Dudes and Maudes Abide at New York City Lebowski Fest | Rich Goldstein | August 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAccording to some surveys, Nigeria is the happiest and most optimistic country in the world.
Teju Cole’s Keen Eye Spares No One—Himself Included | Benjamin Lytal | July 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer time with Dr. Simpson formed “the happiest and most absorbing years” of her life.
Death Became Her: Molly Lefebure’s Wartime Years of Murder and Suicide | Tim Teeman | April 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBecause during the happiest period of my life, we were going to church.
Joy Reid, MSNBC Anchor, on the Racism of the Tea Party, Family Dramas, and Why She Loves Boxing | Lloyd Grove | March 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
On railway matters he was a writer of great skill, and all he wrote was enlivened with the happiest humour.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowFranklin, at least, loved Old England, and it might well be maintained that these were the happiest years of his life.
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl BeckerThe plagued nation effected a revolution over its snuff-boxes in the happiest conceivable manner.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.And, if that wish is realised, the lessee of the Lyceum will be one of the happiest men on record.
Yes,” said Padna, “and while the money lasted, Cormac was the happiest man in the country.
The Whale and the Grasshopper | Seumas O'Brien
British Dictionary definitions for happy (1 of 2)
/ (ˈhæpɪ) /
feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased
willing: I'd be happy to show you around
causing joy or gladness
fortunate; lucky: the happy position of not having to work
aptly expressed; appropriate: a happy turn of phrase
(postpositive) informal slightly intoxicated
(in combination): happy birthday; happy Christmas
Origin of happy
1- See also trigger-happy
Derived forms of happy
- happily, adverb
- happiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for -happy (2 of 2)
denoting excessive enthusiasm for or devotion to: gun-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
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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