pleasure
Americannoun
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the state or feeling of being pleased.
- Synonyms:
- delectation, gladness, happiness
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enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight.
-
worldly or frivolous enjoyment.
the pursuit of pleasure.
-
recreation or amusement; diversion; enjoyment.
Are you traveling on business or for pleasure?
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sensual gratification.
- Synonyms:
- voluptuousness
-
a cause or source of enjoyment or delight.
It was a pleasure to see you.
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pleasurable quality.
the pleasure of his company.
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one's will, desire, or choice.
to make known one's pleasure.
- Synonyms:
- predilection, inclination, wish, preference
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to take pleasure; delight.
I pleasure in your company.
-
to seek pleasure, as by taking a holiday.
noun
-
an agreeable or enjoyable sensation or emotion
the pleasure of hearing good music
-
something that gives or affords enjoyment or delight
his garden was his only pleasure
-
-
amusement, recreation, or enjoyment
-
( as modifier )
a pleasure boat
pleasure ground
-
-
euphemistic sexual gratification or enjoyment
he took his pleasure of her
-
a person's preference or choice
verb
Related Words
Pleasure, enjoyment, delight, joy refer to the feeling of being pleased and happy. Pleasure is the general term: to take pleasure in beautiful scenery. Enjoyment is a quiet sense of well-being and pleasurable satisfaction: enjoyment at sitting in the shade on a warm day. Delight is a high degree of pleasure, usually leading to active expression of it: delight at receiving a hoped-for letter. Joy is a feeling of delight so deep and so lasting that one radiates happiness and expresses it spontaneously: joy at unexpected good news.
Other Word Forms
- antipleasure noun
- pleasureful adjective
- pleasureless adjective
- pleasurelessly adverb
Etymology
Origin of pleasure
First recorded in 1325–75; late Middle English ( please, -ure ); replacing Middle English plaisir, from Middle French (noun use of infinitive), from Latin placēre “to please”
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.
It’s also your money, and you have earned the right to use it in a way that maximizes the positive impact for your loved ones, which, of course, gives you pleasure too.
From MarketWatch
People eat these shows like candy, and while candy can rot your teeth and put on pounds, it can also deliver a jolt of guilty pleasure and feed a sugar addiction.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s an album of unusual pleasures—the assured musicality provides the immediate hook, holding you over until you focus on the lyrics.
Unlike the other visual arts, photography nowadays is practiced by virtually everyone and, to a greater extent than the other visual arts, it is put to more uses than just aesthetic pleasure.
To re-read a favorite book: Is it not one of life’s great pleasures?
From Los Angeles Times
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.
