Happiness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhæpinɪs/

Definitions

1. A state of well-being characterized by positive emotions, contentment, and satisfaction with one's life or circumstances
2. A feeling or state of joy that encompasses satisfaction, contentment, and an overall sense of well-being in life or relationships
3. The experience of joy and contentment that arises from positive emotions and satisfaction with one's circumstances or achievements

Etymology: Happiness is a plain compound: the adjective "happy" with the suffix "-ness", which turns a quality into a noun (so "happy" becomes the state of being happy). The older core of the word is "hap", an Old Norse-influenced word meaning chance or fortune. It came into Middle English from Old Norse "happ", which carried the sense of good luck, and it is the same root that gives "hap" in "perhaps" and "mishap". So "happy" originally described someone who was lucky, with what happened to them, rather than with an inner mood. The emotional sense developed later, as people who had good fortune came to be described as feeling content with it. "Happy" in this sense is attested in Middle English, and "happiness" followed the same path, so the word first named the condition of having good luck before it came to name the feeling of joy itself.

Synonyms: joy, contentment, bliss

Antonyms: sadness, misery