gladness

noun

Definition of gladnessnext
1
as in joy
a feeling or state of well-being and contentment felt nothing but gladness at seeing her best friend beat her out for the award

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contentment
the feeling experienced when one's wishes are met the children's gladness was evident as they opened their Christmas presents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gladness May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026 Hazel shrugged, but Lilian could see her gladness at being asked. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026 Over time in Middle English, myrth(e) narrowed to mean joy, amusement, or gladness, often expressed in laughter and festivity. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gladness
  1. joy
  2. contentment
  3. happiness
  4. enjoyment
  5. pleasure
  6. satisfaction
  7. content
  8. delight
Noun
  • Through lush orchestral arrangements, Estrada sang about finding joy after heartbreak and loss — and made her fans feel a little less alone during bleak times.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Our patients’ joy was matched by the doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel that day, many of whom were in costume.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of joy
Noun
  • Spates of them appear every couple of years, often inspired by surveys of financial contentment like Goldman’s.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The series will explore what constitutes happiness in different cultures and show the travelers — and viewers — different approaches to contentment.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of contentment
Noun
  • But the stand-alone fragment, in the seeming spirit of Franz Kafka’s surreal and unsettling fiction, links success to misery, and happiness to death.
    — Robert S. Levine, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Buffett’s view is supported by research that shows that people with supportive spouses tend to take on more rewarding challenges throughout their lives, and end up having more personal growth and happiness.
    — Shayla Love, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of happiness
Noun
  • In a Harris Poll survey published Wednesday, 65% of American adults reported spending $100 or more on playful activities or products — such as craft kits or action figures — for personal enjoyment between June 2025 and June 2026.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • My enjoyment now came from sitting back and watching her shine.
    — Diana Daniele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of enjoyment
Noun
  • That instinct to preserve some special purchases in spite of pressure from higher prices reflects a kind of little treat economy, when consumers splurge on smaller pleasures even if they’re squeezed by costs.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The afternoons are great for small pleasures but not at all suitable for a potentially deciding championship game in a billion-dollar sports league.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of pleasure
Noun
  • Increase Customer Satisfaction From 82% To 90% Customer satisfaction tells leadership whether the experience ultimately met the customer’s expectations.
    — Allison Mais, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Council members, however, were hesitant to commit to one of the three options without more data on the city’s downtown parking supply, including current occupancy information and user parking satisfaction.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of satisfaction
Noun
  • Claude controlled the entire training dataset and faced few restrictions on its contents.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Even the most compelling content may not sustain a business if leaders overlook the financial fundamentals behind it.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of content
Noun
  • Wesley Fofana missed what proved to be the final kick of the shootout, smashing it well over the crossbar and into The Kop at Anfield as Liverpool fans roared in delight.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Dimensional, smooth, and an absolute delight to look at, calf hair also brings with it the benefit of longevity, meaning the Coach handbags above are guaranteed to stay in tip-top shape for years (if not decades) on end.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of delight

Browse Nearby Words

gladly
gladness
glad rags
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Cite this Entry

“Gladness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gladness. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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