felicity

noun

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fe·lic·i·ty | \ fi-ˈli-sə-tē

plural felicities

Definition of felicity

1a : the quality or state of being happy especially : great happiness marital felicity

b : an instance of happiness

2 : something that causes happiness … the small felicities and absurdities of real life manage to peek through the gloom.— A. O. Scott

3 : a pleasing manner or quality especially in art or language a felicity with words The curve of her mouth gives her a Mona Lisa smile, but that's just a felicity of her anatomy.— Diane Ackerman

4 : an apt expression The poet was well known for his felicities.

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About felicity

Examples of felicity in a Sentence

I've always admired his felicity with words. told his friends that marriage had brought him a felicity that he had never known before

Recent Examples on the Web Tocqueville—this is apparent even in English translations of his work—constantly revised his writing to achieve maximum clarity and felicity. — Barton Swaim, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022 His lyrics display an unmatched verbal felicity and wit and evolve from character, situation or mood. — Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 2021 The language of his British father and his American mother, of his beloved Shakespeare, and of the never-ceasing Empire was cause for great felicity and solemnity. — Tod Worner, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021 The felicity that defines Lizzo’s style is something everyone could use. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2020 The downside of such rampant felicity is its aptitude to push up on anything that moves. — New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020 Even moviegoers who typically care little for production design went nuts for the visual felicities of Wes Anderson’s masterwork. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 10 Oct. 2019 The power of the book comes not from Atwood’s inspired flights of fancy or felicities of style but from her deliberate subjugation of imagination to demonstrable fact. — Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2019 Duggar fans on Twitter are loving the baby's name, too: jinger duggar named her baby felicity & honestly i’m obsessed. — Amina Lake Abdelrahman, Good Housekeeping, 20 July 2018 See More

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