SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

anti–pleasure

play

adjective an·ti–plea·sure \ˌan-tē-ˈple-zhər, -ˈplā-, ˌan-tī-\

Definition of anti–pleasure

: opposed or hostile to pleasure She was a representative of the new, politically correct, anti-pleasure school of art people. — Janet Malcolm

First Known Use of anti–pleasure

1847

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up anti–pleasure? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

perfunctory

play

done merely as a duty

Words at Play

dog-covering-face

Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad

What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

alt-598dca6eb95f8

Running After the History of 'Lackey'

Are lackeys lacking something?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game