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felicity

felicity

18 7.7
A strong feeling of great happiness and contentment
  • noun
  • /fəˈlɪsɪti/
  • Formal
translation icon : felicidad
  • Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, with wondrous felicity and limitless eloquence, could translate or dictate eight languages while conversing on every subject.
  • great felicity

Examples

  • Our faces reflect an evident felicity.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But ultimate repose cannot be found in this kind of felicity.

    Academic text (2001)
  • "But no such happy marriage could now teach the admiring multitude "what connubial felicity really was."

  • From these examples, we can infer that in the play, religion claims to deliver both earthly felicity and eternal salvation.

    Academic text (1996)
  • In the Politics, Aristotle informs us that the best life is the life of "felicity" or happiness, and that felicity is that activity by which one does well.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Augustine's book closes abruptly on the felicity of his conversion; Nabokov's on the felicity of his design.

    Academic text (1995)
  • In the wood-paneled, ground-floor study, throughout all the seasons, I was able to enjoy what the Eastman House committee had called the "felicity" of my intellectual life at Oxford.

    Academic text (1999)
  • She smiled with pure felicity as she opened her birthday presents.

  • The children played outside, their laughter echoing with felicity in the summer sun.

  • After years of hard work, he finally achieved the felicity he had always dreamed of.

Synonyms

happiness
vsfelicity
970 1.0

A feeling of pleasure and being satisfied

is specifically great or intense happiness, stronger than ordinary contentment
joy
vsfelicity
793 1.0

A strong feeling of great happiness

is a lasting state of contentment and sustained intense happiness
bliss
vsfelicity
78 3.2

A complete feeling of great happiness and peace

is intense happiness that may include calm contentment rather than perfection
glee
vsfelicity
34 1.0

A strong feeling of happiness and excitement

is deeper, calmer happiness and contentment rather than light amusement
jubilation
vsfelicity
11 5.2

A strong feeling of happiness and excitement during a celebration

is general great happiness that can occur without any public celebration
gladness
vsfelicity
9 1.0

A feeling of being happy and pleased

is deeper or more intense happiness than this light contentment
blessedness
vsfelicity
1 7.9

A feeling of very great happiness often after prayer or quiet thought

is general great happiness not necessarily tied to spiritual meaning or faith
joyfulness
vsfelicity
1 2.0

A strong feeling of happiness and excitement

is broader happiness including quiet satisfaction not only active cheer
pure bliss
vsfelicity
1 3.7

A feeling of complete happiness

is a very great happiness that is not defined as absolutely complete
blissfulness
vsfelicity
1 4.4

A feeling of complete happiness and calm

is a broad state of great happiness including contentment and intense feeling
joyousness
vsfelicity
1 3.0

A strong feeling of great happiness

is a general great happiness that also stresses calm contentment
jubilance
vsfelicity
1 6.5

A strong feeling of great joy that people show openly

is mainly the inner state of calm contentment, not just outward display
2.8

A very strong feeling of deep happiness

is great happiness but not necessarily described as absolutely overwhelming
jubilancy
vsfelicity
8.1

A strong feeling of great joy after success

is broad happiness and contentment not tied to victory or success
gladsomeness
vsfelicity
  • Archaic
8.9

A feeling of great happiness and pleasure

is intense happiness that also includes deep calm contentment, not only cheer
gladfulness
vsfelicity
7.2

A warm feeling of happiness and pleasure inside you

is strong and often intense happiness rather than mild pleased feeling
gleefulness
vsfelicity
3.5

A strong feeling of happy excitement that makes you smile

is inward enduring happiness and calm contentment rather than lively mirth

Antonyms

310 2.8

A feeling of great unhappiness and suffering

42 1.8

A feeling of sadness or not feeling satisfied with life

How Happy

bliss
78 3.2
felicity
  • Formal
18 7.7
happiness
970 1.0
pleasure
1.0
contentment
26 2.1

Surface Forms

felicity singular
felicities plural

Morphology

felicity = felic + ity

The combining form 'felic-' is not a standalone English word and the meaning ('happiness') is inherited from Latin, so learners cannot transparently derive the sense from familiar English components.

Etymology

Felicity comes from the Latin word felix, which means 'happy' or 'fortunate' and is the same root as the name Felix. So felicity means great happiness or deep joy, the kind of warm contentment you feel in a very lucky moment.