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happy

happy

481 1.0
Bringing a good or lucky result
  • adjective
  • /ˈhæpi/
translation icon : afortunado
  • Even the worst day can have a happy ending if one is able to do that.
  • a happy ending
  • happy and prosperous
  • a happy future

But still, that's, you know, that's a happy problem to have, right?

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Examples

  • We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

  • She deserves to have her happy ending.

  • But right now I feel kind of happy with how things are looking.

  • And I hope that it's a great and happy New year for all of you.

  • If that makes them happy, why is that not OK?

  • You had a very happy childhood.

  • The most important foundation of a happy marriage is that a wife must appreciate and admire her husband.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I can honestly say that these last few months have been the happiest of my life.

  • Without planning it, we've reached that happy point in our careers where duty and financial opportunity meet.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • After winning the lottery, she felt incredibly happy to finally afford her dream home.

Synonyms

fortunate
vshappy
20 2.0

Likely to bring a good result

describes being already marked by favorable circumstances rather than predicting them
felicitous
vshappy
  • Formal
1 7.6

Bringing good luck and success

is similar but focuses on favorable circumstances rather than overt happiness and success

Antonyms

91 1.0

Having bad luck that causes problems

5 3.0

A person who has bad luck or a hard life

Idioms

14 3.4

A group of people who are close and friendly like a loving home

A wish that someone has many more happy days, often on their birthday

happy as a lark
  • Informal
1 5.5

Feeling very pleased and excited

1 8.2

Feeling very happy and content

7.5

Feeling very pleased and full of joy

Compounds

108 1.7

A good finish to a story where things turn out well

45 2.5

A period when a bar or restaurant sells drinks and sometimes food at lower prices

trigger-happy
  • Offensive
16 8.2

Quick to use force without thinking

happy place
  • Informal
15 3.9

A place or memory that makes you feel calm and happy

A person who is cheerful and does not worry about future problems

6 3.9

A middle choice that pleases both sides

1 1.2

The birth of a baby that people celebrate

happy return
  • Archaic
1 5.1

A wish that someone will enjoy many happy birthdays

happy chappy
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A cheerful, friendly man who often smiles

1 8.2

A quick picture taken to show a happy moment

gate-happy
  • Informal
9.6

Feeling very excited while waiting to travel, especially at an airport

A lucky unexpected event that brings something good

happy dispatch
  • Archaic
7.6

A message that gives good news to people

9.8

Being too cheerful and loud, often in church or group meetings

happy murr
  • Archaic
9.9

A soft sound a cat makes when it feels pleased

How Fortunate

happy
481 1.0
lucky
1.0
auspicious
  • Formal
22 7.3
favorable
  • US
73 3.1

Surface Forms

happy positive
happier comparative
happiest superlative

Morphology

happy = hap (transparent) = hap + y

This sense ('marked by good fortune') aligns directly with the meaning of 'hap' (luck), so if a learner knew the base the sense is predictable.

Etymology

Happy comes from the old word hap, meaning 'luck' or 'chance', and you can see the same root in mishap. So a 'happy' ending is a lucky or fortunate outcome.