hedonist
Americannoun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hedonist
Explanation
Your parents might want to visit the museum while you want to hike in the forest, but your brother, the hedonist, just wants to lounge by the hotel pool and eat cake. A hedonist values sensual pleasure above all else. Hedonist comes from the Greek word hedone "pleasure" and is related to hedys, which means "sweet." Although this noun did not make its first appearance until 1822, the word was created as a reference to an ancient Greek philosophical system known as the Cyrenaic school. The Cyrenaics taught that pleasure — particularly physical pleasure — is the greatest good. If you need some examples of modern day hedonists, think the many celebrities today who are only famous for going to parties.
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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.
“Let Mary run and be as hedonist as she pleases; let Tommy roll in the mud,” a Massachusetts observer wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Craig, who's neither a scientist nor a hedonist, thought I was being dramatic.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2023
A philosophical hedonist will prioritize intellectual pleasures or long-lasting pleasures that contribute to a good and meaningful life, rather than momentary and fleeting pleasures.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022
Mr Bennett defended himself in a Facebook post on Sunday, declaring that such spending had "dramatically decreased" during his premiership and that "attempts to present me as a hedonist are simply funny".
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2022
When the game was over, he promised himself to be the opposite of a hedonist.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
