hedonism

American  

[heed-n-iz-uhm] / ˈhid nˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.

2. devotion to pleasure as a way of life.

   The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.

   Synonyms:

   carousal, dissipation, debauchery, libertinism, sensualism

   Antonyms:

   self-denial, abstemious, asceticism, puritanism

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hedonism British  

/ ˈhɛd-, ˈhiːdəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. ethics

   1. the doctrine that moral value can be defined in terms of pleasure See utilitarianism

   2. the doctrine that the pursuit of pleasure is the highest good

2. the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of principle

3. indulgence in sensual pleasures

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hedonism Cultural  

1. In ethics, the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life. Some hedonists, such as the Epicureans, have insisted that pleasure of the entire mind, not just pleasure of the senses, is this highest good.

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Other Word Forms

• hedonic adjective
• hedonist noun

Etymology

Origin of hedonism

First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek hēdonḗ “pleasure, enjoyment” + -ism

Example Sentences

But Mr. Styles’s voice, while expressive in certain contexts, is incapable of conveying hedonism, and “Aperture” ends up feeling blandly uplifting rather than transcendent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

The combination of adolescence’s slippery hedonism and the French Riviera’s languid air spurred the explosive popularity of Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel “Bonjour Tristesse,” written when the author was herself a teenager.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

After a breezy “Rock Your Body” and embracing 2000s club hedonism on “SexyBack,” a harnessed-up Timberlake returned for his “Mirrors” encore atop the LED vessel that carried him above the crowd.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024

Tudyk’s alien embodies the absurdity of assumption along with an endless potential for wonder – and hedonism.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2024

“The Manichaeans, see, were followers of this Persian guy who lived in the third century. They believed that hedonism was the only way to get rid of their sins.”

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García