felicity
2
8.0
- noun
- /fəˈlɪsɪti/
- Literature
:
acierto
- For a man of only 33 years, you possess a happy talent for composition and a remarkable felicity of expression.
- peculiar felicity
Examples
-
Felicity.
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There are matters more serious than politics, even though political matters have their own felicity and seriousness.
Academic text (2001) -
Augustine's book closes abruptly on the felicity of his conversion; Nabokov's on the felicity of his design.
Academic text (1995) -
However, the chief point of the preceding critique is not the felicity of this particular parable, but the infelicity of the approach such parables or models can replace.
Academic text (2007) -
She sat down quickly as heads nodded in approval both of the sentiment and of the felicity with which it was expressed, and Katrina wished her own gratitude toward her pupils could be as clean and uncomplicated as theirs toward her.
Fiction book (1998) -
The grandeur of these conceptions of the old poet, together with the felicity of the wording that clothes them and the sublimity of the imagery whereby they are illustrated, has singled out that stanza and made it more celebrated than any that ever existed.
Fiction book (1994) -
Indeed, in eulogizing Lally upon his death in 1987, the Boston Globe noted that "Lally's acute intelligence and verbal felicity helped focus Cardinal Cushing's broad humanity and titanic enthusiasms."
Academic text (2010) -
His speech was delivered with such felicity that everyone felt inspired by his words.
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The author's felicity of expression in this passage captures the beauty of love perfectly.
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She wrote with a felicity that made even complex ideas easy to understand.
Synonyms
172
2.6
A smooth, attractive way of moving or behaving
4
7.9
Polite and elegant behavior that shows high social standing
1
3.9
A calm, elegant way of moving and behaving
1
8.1
Polite and elegant behavior like people at a royal court
The quality of being pleasing and right for a situation, especially in speech or writing
Antonyms
- Formal
1
9.7
An awkward choice of words or style that makes speech and writing uncomfortable
How Appropriate
Surface Forms
Morphology
felicity = felic + ity
The form 'felic-' is not productive or recognisable to average learners in modern English, so the sense 'aptness or appropriateness' cannot be derived from visible parts alone.
Etymology
Felicity comes from the Latin root felix, which means 'happy', and people began to use the idea of 'happy' for things that feel especially fitting or right. That's why felicity can also mean a pleasing, perfectly chosen way of saying something, because the words feel 'right' for the situation.