felicity
noun
fe·lic·i·ty
fi-ˈli-sə-tē 
plural felicities
1
a
: 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
A. O. Scott3
: 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
Diane Ackerman4
: an apt expression
The poet was well known for his felicities.
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
However, Juneteenth maintains a resolve to protect Black families, freedom, and felicity.
—Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 June 2025
So: Is any of this so very different from the absurd, grab-bag felicity of director King's Paddington 2, where we were enchanted watching a teddy bear sing and dance in prison?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023
With a band of this size there are felicities in the orchestration, not least in the elegant writing for woodwinds, but even those are smudged by a poor sound design that runs the gamut from loud to much louder.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
When such utterances are spoken in jest or in pretense, not all the felicity conditions are satisfied and the magic doesn’t happen.
—Kai Von Fintel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for felicity
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Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 June 2025
So: Is any of this so very different from the absurd, grab-bag felicity of director King's Paddington 2, where we were enchanted watching a teddy bear sing and dance in prison?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023
With a band of this size there are felicities in the orchestration, not least in the elegant writing for woodwinds, but even those are smudged by a poor sound design that runs the gamut from loud to much louder.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023
When such utterances are spoken in jest or in pretense, not all the felicity conditions are satisfied and the magic doesn’t happen.
—Kai Von Fintel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for felicity
Cite this Entry
“Felicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felicity. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
felicity
noun
fe·lic·i·ty
fi-ˈlis-ət-ē
plural felicities
1
: great happiness : bliss
2
: something that causes happiness
3
: a pleasing manner or quality especially in art or language
a felicity with words
4
: a suitable expression
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