cloud nine
7
4.0
- noun
- /klaʊd naɪn/
- Informal
:
en las nubes
- After receiving the good news, I felt like I was on cloud nine.
- floating on cloud nine
- still on cloud nine
- put me on cloud nine
Examples
-
She's floating on cloud nine.
Fiction book (1996) -
It makes you feel amazing, on cloud nine, when you know that you made someone's day and they will continue to feel great about themselves because of the things you said and did.
Blog text (6) -
Everyone was riding on cloud nine.
-
Rush will be on cloud nine.
Blog text (15) -
Are you guys on cloud nine right now and just feeling the momentum?
Blog text (32) -
I was on cloud nine all day, and you bet I stuffed my face with food at the reception.
Blog text (22) -
I was on cloud nine, and I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment.
Blog text (23) -
The first time these emotions happen, you will inexplicably find yourself floating on cloud nine.
Blog text (29) -
While Sooner Nation lies in ruin, the Wildcats are riding on cloud nine with a plethora of possibilities still ahead of them for the season.
Blog text (24) -
While some Knick fans are floating on cloud nine, the reality is there is a long way to go, and there are still 79 games left on the calendar.
Blog text (26)
Synonyms
78
3.2
A complete feeling of great happiness and peace
45
6.8
A very strong feeling of happiness and excitement
19
6.4
Feeling very happy and excited after good news
17
5.8
A strong, happy feeling of excitement
5
4.6
To feel very happy and excited
2
4.1
Feeling very happy and excited
2
3.7
A feeling of great happiness and joy
1
3.7
Feeling very happy and excited
1
4.4
A feeling of complete happiness and calm
Antonyms
How Happy
Surface Forms
Morphology
cloud + nine
The meaning 'a state of extreme happiness' cannot be directly derived from the literal meanings of 'cloud' (a mass in the sky) and 'nine' (the number); the numeral is arbitrary and the phrase is conventionalized. Although the cloud image suggests elevation, a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would be unlikely to predict the idiomatic sense, and cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. 'seventh heaven') indicate a conventional idiom rather than a transparent compositional pattern.
Etymology
The idiom cloud nine may come from the image of being on a very high, soft cloud, with nine meaning the top place in an old list of cloud types. Imagine floating above the world on that best cloud; you would feel like you are flying with joy, so the phrase means 'extreme happiness'.