hedonism

noun he·do·nism \ ˈhē-də-ˌni-zəm \

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Examples: hedonism in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Modern Definition of hedonism

Definition of hedonism

1 : the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life

2 : a way of life based on or suggesting the principles of hedonism

she was a perfect specimen of selfish hedonism
—Donald Armstrong

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hedonist

play \ˈhē-də-nist\ noun

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hedonistic

play \ˌhē-də-ˈni-stik\ adjective

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hedonistically

play \ˌhē-də-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See hedonism defined for English-language learners

Examples of hedonism in a Sentence

their spring break trip to Mexico became an exercise in heedless hedonism

Recent Examples of hedonism from the Web

The Grandmaster’s evilness stems entirely from his hedonism.

— anna peele, GQ, "Introducing the Sexy Villain Matrix," 3 May 2018
Punk hedonism and good old American ingenuity never looked better, nor ruffled feathers so effectively.

— david pagel, latimes.com, "For Kitty Brophy, freedom from authority in some wickedly sensuous lines," 17 Apr. 2018
But that doesn't quite convey the machismo, the serious drugs, the hedonism, the wild debauchery of the life.

— deirdre donahue, USA TODAY, "Our review: Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' captured restaurants' demented glory," 8 June 2018
In the 1980s, the gay community's anguished response to the AIDS crisis made the insular hedonism of Crowley's characters seem trivial.

— david rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Boys in the Band': Theater Review," 1 June 2018
In 1977, Studio 54 and its founders, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, epitomized New York hedonism.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Tribeca Film Festival: Music-Themed Docs Spotlight Studio 54, Ed Sheeran, Blue Note Records," 7 Mar. 2018
Mao Zedong said, but this revolution was also a party, and left behind a legacy of hedonism.

— New York Times, "Dystopia, Apocalypse, Culture War: 2018 or 1968?," 17 May 2018
Since 2000, rock has given way at the center of the conversation to other forms; now hip-hop, with all its outrage and hedonism, is the voice of popular culture.

— mikael wood, latimes.com, "At the Forum, U2 had the 1990s — when Bono was MacPhisto — on its mind," 16 May 2018
Although the backdrop is one of vivid wealth and socially sanctioned hedonism, Patrick's suffering is, at its core, the same as anyone else's.

— hank stuever, chicagotribune.com, "'Patrick Melrose' is the Cumberbatch-iest show ever made - and that's a good thing," 10 May 2018

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

The Modern Definition of hedonism

When hedonism first appeared in English in the middle of the 19th century, it referred to the doctrines of certain schools of philosophy in ancient Greece (such as the Epicureans and Cyrenaics), who held that happiness or pleasure constituted the chief goal in life. As used today, the word frequently carries a judgmental tinge. If someone is described as living a life of hedonism, the implication is that he or she derives happiness from debauchery rather than, say, spending quality time with family or forming meaningful relationships at work. Hedonism comes from the Greek hēdonē (“pleasure”), which also provides the root of the word anhedonia (“a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts”).