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.
Synonyms
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 family, freedom, and felicity.
—Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023
Again, studying the felicity conditions is what is needed.
—Kai Von Fintel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 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
The golden message responsible for all this health and felicity?
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
His grandfather, the late scriptwriter Inder Raj Anand wrote both social dramas and mainstream Bollywood films with equal felicity, and uncle Tinnu Anand was a noted director and actor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Jan. 2023
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
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Danielle Broadway, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023
Again, studying the felicity conditions is what is needed.
—Kai Von Fintel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 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
The golden message responsible for all this health and felicity?
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
His grandfather, the late scriptwriter Inder Raj Anand wrote both social dramas and mainstream Bollywood films with equal felicity, and uncle Tinnu Anand was a noted director and actor.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Jan. 2023
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
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'felicity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near felicity
Cite this Entry
“Felicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felicity. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on felicity
Nglish: Translation of felicity for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of felicity for Arabic Speakers
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