happy

adjective

hap·​py ˈha-pē 

happier; happiest

1

: favored by luck or fortune : fortunate

a happy coincidence

2

: notably fitting, effective, or well adapted : felicitous

a happy choice

3

a

: enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment

is the happiest person I know

a happy childhood

b

: expressing, reflecting, or suggestive of happiness

a happy ending

c

: glad, pleased

I'm happy to meet you

d

: having or marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship : friendly

a happy office

4

a

: characterized by a dazed irresponsible state

a punch-happy boxer

b

: impulsively or obsessively quick to use or do something

trigger-happy

c

: enthusiastic about something to the point of obsession : obsessed

education-conscious and statistic-happy

—Helen Rowen

Synonyms

• fluky
• flukey
• fortuitous
• fortunate
• heaven-sent
• lucky
• providential

Choose the Right Synonym for happy

lucky, fortunate, happy, providential mean meeting with unforeseen success.

lucky stresses the role of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond what one deserves.

fortunate in my investments

happy combines the implications of lucky and fortunate with stress on being blessed.

a series of happy accidents

providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

fit, suitable, meet, proper, appropriate, fitting, apt, happy, felicitous mean right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance.

fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

Examples of happy in a Sentence

She was a very happy child.

You don't look happy. What's the problem?

We're all one big, happy family here.

I'd do anything to make her happy.

I could hear the children's happy laughter in the other room.

She had a very happy childhood.

They've had a very happy marriage.

I was glad the movie had a happy ending.

We are so happy that you were able to come to the party.

They are not at all happy about the rise in taxes.

Recent Examples on the Web

She isn’t fixated on having the right or the most happy kinds of experiences, exactly. —Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 4 May 2025

Schwarber was 3-for-12 with seven strikeouts against Luzardo over the years, and he’s joked that no one was happier about the trade than him. —Matt Gelb, New York Times, 3 May 2025

When the mothers returned with their packages, they were usually greeted by smiling little faces and happy gurgles. —Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025

However, her story now has a happy ending with the arrival of a new canine support dog. —David Chiu, People.com, 3 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from hap

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing happy

• (as) happy as a clam
• happy camper
• happy for
• happy-go-lucky
• happy hour
• happy hunting ground
• happy medium
• happy talk
• (many) happy returns
• put on a happy face
• trigger-happy

Rhymes for happy

• chappie
• nappy
• pappy
• sappy
• scrappy
• snappy
• unhappy

Kids Definition

happy

adjective

hap·​py ˈhap-ē 

happier; happiest

1

: fortunate sense 1, lucky

2

: suitable sense 1

a happy choice for governor

3

a

: enjoying well-being and contentment

happy in my work

b

: expressing or suggestive of happiness

happy laughter

c

: being pleased or glad

happy to accept an invitation

Etymology

Middle English happy "having or being good luck," a specialized sense of hap "chance, chance occurrence" — related to happen, mishap, perhaps