happiness means the emotion of being happy; joy; elation. It carries an Arena rating of 1503, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, happiness ranks #1,598 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,277 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,639 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #8,262 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
happiness is pronounced /ˈhæpinɪs/.
Why “happiness” is a great word
The state of pleasurable contentment of mind, often arising from good fortune, prosperity, or the satisfaction of one's circumstances. From Middle English, formed from 'happy' (meaning 'fortunate, prosperous', from 'hap' meaning 'luck, chance') with the noun-forming suffix '-ness', the sense of 'good fortune' attested from the 1520s and the specific sense of a contented mental state from the 1590s. Unlike 'bliss', which glows with a near-divine radiance, or 'contentment', which hums with quiet acceptance, happiness occupies the modest middle ground of human flourishing: the warmth of a body settling into a familiar chair, the sudden laughter that leaps from the chest unbidden, the shared glance over a table laden with imperfect but abundant food. It is the fleeting, earned grace that knows itself mortal, all the more precious for being stitched through with chance.
Etymology
From happy + -ness.
noun
- The emotion of being happy; joy; elation.e.g.“seek happiness”
- Prosperity, thriving, wellbeing.
- Good luck; good fortune.
- Fortuitous elegance; unstudied grace, used especially of language.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.