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
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
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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.
For many, this month's incident felt at odds with Bhutan's self-cultivated image as a peaceful Buddhist nation that has sought to prioritise social wellbeing over material growth through its "Gross National Happiness" philosophy.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
But Salonen’s homeland ranks No. 1 this year on the World Happiness Report, and his revelatory performance of Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella” with the Colburn Orchestra, with which he closed the festival, demonstrated why.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
But there are myriad ways to cultivate happiness at work, according to Laurie Santos, a psychology professor at Yale University and host of “The Happiness Lab” podcast.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026
“I am not happy. Happiness is so difficult. But I’m not unhappy either, and I am serene. I have no regrets or remorse over anything,” she added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
