happiness
Americannoun
-
happiness
plural
-
the quality or state of being happy.
- Synonyms:
- satisfaction, enjoyment, delight, contentedness, bliss, exhilaration, joy, pleasure
- Antonyms:
- misery
-
good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
- Synonyms:
- delight, contentedness, bliss, exhilaration, joy, pleasure, satisfaction, enjoyment
Synonym Usage
Happiness, bliss, contentment, felicity imply an active or passive state of pleasure or pleasurable satisfaction. Happiness results from the possession or attainment of what one considers good: the happiness of visiting one's family. Bliss is unalloyed happiness or supreme delight: the bliss of perfect companionship. Contentment is a peaceful kind of happiness in which one rests without desires, even though every wish may not have been gratified: contentment in one's surroundings. Felicity is a formal word for happiness of an especially fortunate or intense kind: to wish a young couple felicity in life.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of happiness
Compare meaning
How does happiness compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can't help but smile. It's the opposite of sadness. Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness. The "pursuit of happiness" is something this country is based on, and different people feel happiness for different reasons. Whenever doing something causes happiness, people usually want to do more of it. No one ever complained about feeling too much happiness.
Vocabulary lists containing happiness
President Obama's second inaugural address
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #12
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Thank you so much for paving the way," Londoner Dubois wrote on X. "Wishing you happiness, success and joy for this next season."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Other users taking counterfeit versions of retatrutide have reported a range of issues including brain fog, nausea, diarrhoea, a loss of libido and no longer being able to feel any happiness or joy.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“We bring happiness to people’s homes and lives, and the fact the U.S. has targeted us is very odd.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Being single again felt like a step backward, further away than ever from happiness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
By the time I sat down to dinner, that happiness was doing somersaults of excitement in my stomach.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
