happiness
English
editAlternative forms
edit- happinesse (obsolete)
- happyness (obsolete)
Etymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
edithappiness (countable and uncountable, plural happinesses)
- (uncountable) The emotion of being happy; joy.
- 1877, W. S. Gilbert, The Sorcerer:
- Yes, Aline, true happiness comes of true love, and true love should be independent of external influences.
- (archaic, uncountable) prosperity, thriving, wellbeing.
- 1776, United States Declaration of Independence:
- We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
- (archaic, uncountable) Good luck; good fortune.
- c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 20, column 2:
- All happineſſe bechance to thee in Millaine.
- (obsolete, countable) Fortuitous elegance; unstudied grace; — used especially of language.
- 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC, page 10:
- Some Beauties yet, no Precepts can declare, / For there's a Happineſs as well as Care.
Usage notes
editHappiness is generic, and is applied to almost every kind of enjoyment.
Synonyms
edit- felicity (somewhat dated or formal)
- blessedness (dated or religious)
- bliss (more exalted delight, suggesting heaven)
- high spirits
- joy, joyfulness, joyousness
- pleasure
Antonyms
editDerived terms
editTranslations
editemotion of being happy
|
good luck
|
agreeable feeling
|
fortuitous elegance
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
References
edit- “happiness”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Further reading
edit- Happiness (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- happiness on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Categories:
- English terms suffixed with -ness
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Emotions
- English abstract nouns