Content

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɛnt/

Definitions

1. A feeling of fulfillment or happiness derived from a situation or experience ; the data or facts presented within a document, book, or media ; the topics or ideas explored in a discussion, work, or environment
2. The state of being satisfied or pleased with what one has received or experienced ; the substance or material contained within something, such as text, audio, or visual elements ; the subjects or matter dealt with in a piece of communication or artistic production
3. A sense of gratification or achievement from an event or outcome ; the information or messages conveyed through communication or media ; the thematic elements or topics addressed in an activity, book, or conversation

Etymology: The adjective "content" meaning satisfied comes from the Latin "contentus," which literally meant "contained" or "held in." The idea was that someone who is held in, with nothing pushing outward, is at rest. English borrowed the notion through Middle English "contenten," meaning "to satisfy," so the word began as a verb about fulfilling someone's desires before it described the state of being fulfilled. The noun has a stranger path. Its Latin source is the same past participle, but English apparently turned the adjective into a noun meaning something like "the things contained" or "substance." That sense survives in the plural "contents" of a box or a book, and in the phrase "the content of a speech." Romance languages never developed this noun, so it is a distinctly English extension.

Synonyms: satisfied, pleased, fulfilled, happy, at ease

Antonyms: discontent, unhappy, dissatisfied, restless, troubled