hedonism

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noun he·do·nism \ˈhē-də-ˌni-zəm\

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

hedonist

play \ˈhē-də-nist\ noun

hedonistic

play \ˌhē-də-ˈni-stik\ adjective

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

Here's the thing, the Grateful Dead in the public imagination, now, has become this cartoon that’s all about feeling good and hedonism and dancing bears.

— karen bliss, Billboard, "Grateful Dead Doc Director on Hating the Term 'Jam Band' & Why So Few Women Are In the Film", 2 June 2017
And if that song’s famous shaker of salt remains lost, fans of the man and his brand of breezy, beachy hedonism still may have found their ideal escape. ‘

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Escape to Margaritaville' goes down easy at La Jolla Playhouse", 29 May 2017
Scott Rubin was asked to write jokes for National Lampoon’s Strip Poker, a witless pay-per-view series featuring Kaelin and a group of lovelies (including Olivia Munn, then known as Lisa) at the Hedonism II nudist resort in Jamaica.

— benjamin wallace, VanityFair.com, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?", 19 May 2017
Scott Rubin was asked to write jokes for National Lampoon’s Strip Poker, a witless pay-per-view series featuring Kaelin and a group of lovelies (including Olivia Munn, then known as Lisa) at the Hedonism II nudist resort in Jamaica.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?", 1 May 2017
To celebrate its stunning ascendancy, Breitbart opted to rent a boat and take staffers out on the Potomac River for a night of hedonism.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "The Battle for Breitbart After Bannon", 4 Apr. 2017
But for the movie star who likes to party, Ötkert and its traditional Budapest courtyard is ideal for a spot of hedonism—or at least Jude Law and Matt Damon seemed to think so.

— jennifer walker, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Ryan Gosling, Jennifer Lawrence, and More Are Spending Time in Budapest", 16 Jan. 2017
Then, after much wine, vodka and awkward conversation, comes a fabulous eruption of runaway hedonism.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Present’: Even in Russia, It’s Hard to Turn 40", 8 Jan. 2017
The disco era and its aura of pre-AIDS hedonism is a touchstone in Silano’s erotic world, in which Bette Midler, contestants vying for the title of Mr. Christopher Street, and a host of anonymous nudes all appear.

— The New Yorker, "Pacifico Silano", 10 Dec. 2016

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”).