happiness

noun

hap·​pi·​ness ˈha-pē-nəs 

1

a

: a state of well-being and contentment : joy

b

: a pleasurable or satisfying experience

I wish you every happiness in life.

I had the happiness of seeing you

—W. S. Gilbert

2

: felicity, aptness

a striking happiness of expression

3

obsolete : good fortune : prosperity

All happiness bechance to thee …

—William Shakespeare

Synonyms of happiness

• joy
• bliss

Examples of happiness in a Sentence

They made a toast to long life and happiness.

her happiness was complete when she got her very own house

Recent Examples on the Web

Arthur Brooks, a writer and professor who studies happiness, said that suffering is part of life. — Maggie Penman, Washington Post, 17 July 2026

Their products, supplements and cleaning supplies and cosmetics, inspired near-synonymous claims about health, beauty, and happiness. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

The Five Star Weekend goes from being a story about the ways women can forge companionship with those who have wronged them to a story that makes the men in Hollis’s life the crux of her happiness. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 July 2026

In that sense, learning from the Nordics is not as simple as raising minimum wages and seeing happiness soar. — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see happy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for happiness

• unhappiness

Kids Definition

happiness

noun

hap·​pi·​ness ˈhap-i-nəs 

: a state of well-being and contentment : joy