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 euphoria was a medical term. Its entry in an early 18th-century dictionary explains it as "the well-bearing of the Operation of a Medicine; that is, when the Sick Person 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 and psychology, euphoria can describe abnormal or inappropriate feelings such as those caused by an illicit 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 The euphoria even has local bankers, lawyers and big tech executives pondering career pivots of their own to cash in. — Ben Bartenstein, Fortune, 6 May 2022 Like Arun, Aseem, and Virendra, it is enmeshed in both the euphoria and the burden of great potential. — Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, 5 May 2022 Matching the euphoria on the ground was the gratitude on stage. — Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 The prevailing mood was a kind of mellow euphoria even when the wind kicked up enough dust to obscure the surrounding mountains (and even when a child’s-size poke bowl could run you more than 20 bucks). — Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2022 Many are just searching for the feeling of gender euphoria. — Patrick Skerrett, STAT, 9 Apr. 2022 All week long, Howard Community College men’s lacrosse coach Erik Foust has been dealing with crossing the fine line where reality becomes euphoria. — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2022 The euphoria of discovery conveyed by Richard Greenberg through a gay outsider who becomes an impassioned baseball fan hasn’t dimmed a bit in the two decades since Take Me Out was first produced. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2022 Notes of musk and vanilla emerge as the fragrance settles into the skin, creating a sense of warmth and euphoria. — Emerald Elitou, Essence, 28 Mar. 2022 See More

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.