Definition of: happiness

(hap′ē·nis) noun
1. The state or quality of being happy; the pleasurable experience that springs from possession of good or the gratification of desires; enjoyment; blessedness.
2. Good fortune; luck; prosperity.
3. Unstudied grace; aptness or felicitousness, as of a remark or turn of phrase. Synonyms: blessedness, bliss, cheer, comfort, contentment, delight, ecstasy, enjoyment, felicity, gaiety, gladness, gratification, joy, merriment, mirth, pleasure, rapture, rejoicing, satisfaction, triumph. Comfort may be almost wholly negative, being found in security or relief from that which pains or annoys. Enjoyment is more positive and pleasure still more vivid; satisfaction is more tranquil than pleasure; when a worthy pleasure is past, a worthy satisfaction remains. Happiness is more complete than comfort, enjoyment, or satisfaction, more serene and rational than pleasure. Felicity is a colder and more formal term than happiness. Gladness is happiness that overflows. Joy is more intense than happiness, deeper than gladness, to which it is akin, nobler and more enduring than pleasure. Bliss is ecstatic, perfected happiness. See RAPTURE.