# happiness

Pronunciation: say "HAP-ee-nis" /ˈhæpinɪs/

## Noun

1. The emotion of feeling happy; a state of joy, gladness, or great pleasure.
   - Simple: The good feeling you have when you are glad, joyful, or pleased.
   - _Lasting happiness often grows from close friendships rather than from possessions._
   - _His face glowed with happiness as he crossed the finish line._

## Noun

2. Prosperity, thriving, or general wellbeing, as of a person, family, or nation. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A time of doing well in life, with comfort, success, and good health.
   - _The treaty promised lasting peace and happiness to both realms for a generation._
   - _He devoted his reign to the happiness of his subjects, building roads and granaries._
3. Good luck; good fortune that falls to a person by favorable chance. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Good luck, or fortune that helps things turn out well.
   - _It was by sheer happiness that the messenger reached the gates before they closed._
   - _The travelers credited their safe passage to happiness rather than to any skill of their own._
4. A fortunate elegance or unstudied grace, especially in the use of language. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A graceful turn of phrase that seems to come naturally, without effort.
   - _There is a happiness in his metaphors that more careful writers rarely achieve._
   - _The essay is full of small happinesses of expression, each phrase falling perfectly into place._

## Origin

Formed from 'happy' combined with the suffix '-ness'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/happiness (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).