Euphoria Has Greek Roots

Health and happiness are often linked, sometimes even in etymologies. Nowadays "euphoria" generally refers to happiness, but it derives from "euphoros," a Greek word that means "healthy." Given that root, it's not surprising that in its original English uses, it was a medical term. A 1706 quotation shows how doctors used it then: "'Euphoria,' the well bearing of the Operation of a Medicine, i.e. when the Patient finds himself eas'd or reliev'd by it." Modern physicians still use the term, but they aren't likely to prescribe something that will cause it. In contemporary medicine, "euphoria" describes abnormal or inappropriate feelings such as those caused by an illegal drug or an illness.

Examples of euphoria in a Sentence

The initial euphoria following their victory in the election has now subsided. The drug produces intense feelings of euphoria.

Recent Examples on the Web Defying expectations, investors piled into initial public offerings at a record rate in 2020, and few expect the euphoria to wear off soon. — Maureen Farrell, WSJ, "Record IPO Surge Set to Roll On in 2021," 31 Dec. 2020 Obviously, these statistics reflect more than just seasonal shopping euphoria. — Terry Savage, chicagotribune.com, "Terry Savage: Credit card euphoria will lead to nasty hangover," 31 Dec. 2020 Already notable for its mostly unstoppable rise this year — despite a pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people, put millions out of work and shuttered businesses around the country — the market is now tipping into outright euphoria. — New York Times, "Market Edges Toward Euphoria, Despite Pandemic’s Toll," 27 Dec. 2020 But some fear these deals are getting out of hand, and could be an ominous signal of misplaced market euphoria. — Michelle Toh, CNN, "SoftBank joins Wall Street's latest craze in hunt for acquisitions," 22 Dec. 2020 Using colors to represent various states of personal distress, the album is dynamic and altogether bewitching, finding a middle ground between euphoria and trauma, at once quiet and bold, gorgeous and devastating. — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, "My Thirty Favorite Albums of 2020," 8 Dec. 2020 And while the postgame euphoria thundered on, the game’s most important player stood behind a podium and delivered a surprising message during a Zoom interview. — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, "Jermar Jefferson’s record-setting performance carries Oregon State over Oregon and brings him rivalry redemption," 27 Nov. 2020 But the country’s richest man sat out most of this euphoria. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "Mukesh Ambani’s startup strategy: swoop in at the right time," 17 Nov. 2020 Defensive end Boye Mafe remembered staying on the field an extra 30 minutes after the final whistle just to soak up the euphoria. — Megan Ryan, Star Tribune, "Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. to experience border rivalry firsthand," 18 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'euphoria.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.