happiness
Americannoun
-
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
Related Words
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
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
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #12
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
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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.
Divorce may leave you financially diminished, but it can lift your happiness in ways a marriage never could.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
“Across the board, I would say that there just definitely has been an increase in nostalgia,” says workplace well-being expert Jennifer Moss, who has spent years studying happiness, burnout and emotional behavior.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
The caption, wishing Quaid and Doumit “boundless happiness and good fortune,” accompanied a slideshow of photos featuring the couple, along with Minifie, Emily Browning and Eddie O’Keefe, celebrating in the establishment.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
"If my life shifts again and I find myself in a sphere of happiness then maybe I'll write a studio sitcom."
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
“I do so love children, don’t you, Constance? What happiness they bring to a home!”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
