Happening — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈha-pə-niŋ/ hap·pen·ing

Meaning & Definition of Happening

Happening (noun)

  1. something that happens, occurrence
  2. an event or series of events designed to evoke a spontaneous reaction to sensory, emotional, or spiritual stimuli
  3. something (such as an event) that is particularly interesting, entertaining, or important

Happening (adjective)

  1. very fashionable, in
  2. offering much stimulating activity

Happening (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being in the latest or current fashion

    "those are some happening duds, man"

    similar: à la mode, au courant, chic, cool (slang), exclusive, fashionable, fresh (slang), hip, in, modish, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish, supercool, swell, swish, trendy, voguish
    related: downtown, edgy, funky, dapper, dashing, dressy, kicky, natty, rakish, sassy, saucy, spiffy, spruce, chichi, classy, flossy, haute, nobby, posh, ritzy, soigné, swank, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, sophisticated, stately, tasteful, understated, doggish, doggy, flashy, gallant, dandyish, dudish, foppish, ultrachic, ultracool, ultrahip, ultraposh, ultrasmart, ultrasophisticated
    opposite: dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unmodish, unstylish
    near: cheesy, tacky, unattractive, unbecoming, graceless, inelegant, tasteless, trashy, unhandsome, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, disheveled, messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy

  2. marked by much life, movement, or activity

    "the downtown theater district is a happening place this autumn"

    similar: aboil, abubble, abuzz, alive, animated, astir, brisk, bustling, busy, buzzing, flourishing, hopping, humming, kinetic, lively, rousing, stirring, thriving, vibrant
    related: abounding, crowded, overflowing, populous, swarming, teeming, thronging
    opposite: asleep, dead, inactive, lifeless, sleepy

  3. enjoying widespread favor or approval

    "that might be a happening outfit right now, but not on a woman who'll never see 40 again"

    similar: big, crowd-pleasing, du jour, faddish, faddy, fashionable, favorite, hot, in, large, modish, pop, popular, popularized, red-hot, vogue, voguish
    related: semipopular, preferred, selected, desirable, liked, wanted, celebrated, famed, famous, noted, notorious, prominent, renowned, well-known, fabled, fabulous, legendary, leading, notable, outstanding, remarkable, important, significant
    opposite: out, unfashionable, unpopular
    near: washed-up, despised, detested, disliked, hated, rejected, insignificant, unimportant, indistinguished, unexceptional, anonymous, nameless, obscure, unknown, inconspicuous

Happening (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an exciting or noteworthy event that one experiences firsthand

    "the President's visit to the school was a real happening for teachers and students alike"

    similar: adventure, emprise, experience, exploit, gest, time
    related: escapade, lark, ploy, act, action, deed, doing, feat, episode, occasion, baptism, ordeal, test, trial, tribulation, enterprise, risk, venture, expedition, exploration, mission, performance, quest, stunt
    near: bore, bummer, bust, downer, drag

  2. something that happens

    "gave a detailed account of all the happenings of the weekend"

    similar: affair, circumstance, episode, event, hap, incident, occasion, occurrence, thing
    related: coincidence, co-occurrence, fluke, freak, landmark, milepost, milestone, page, phenomenon, turning point, adventure, experience, time, happenchance, happenstance, accident, crisis, emergency, juncture, achievement, deed, exploit, feat, news, tidings

Happening (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to take place

    "did anything exciting happen over the summer?"

    similar: befalling, being, betiding, chancing, coming, coming about, coming down, coming off, cooking, doing, going down (slang), going on, happing, occurring, passing, transpiring, coming to pass
    related: breaking, developing, rising, shaping (up), arising, coming up, cropping (up), materializing, springing (up), intervening, falling out, following, resulting, turning out, going off, proceeding

Related Entry: Happen (verb)

Happen is a different word from Happening. The synonyms below are for happen, not for happening.

  1. to take place

    "did anything exciting happen over the summer?"

    similar: be, befall, betide, chance, come, come about, come down, come off, cook, do, go down (slang), go on, hap, occur, pass, transpire, come to pass
    related: break, develop, rise, shape (up), arise, come up, crop (up), materialize, spring (up), intervene, fall out, follow, result, turn out, go off, proceed

Related Entry: Happen (on or upon) (verb)

Happen (on or upon) is a different word from Happening. The synonyms below are for happen (on or upon), not for happening.

  1. to come upon unexpectedly or by chance

    "happened on the filming of a movie"

    similar: chance (upon), encounter, find, hit (upon), light (on or upon), meet, pitch (upon), stumble (on or onto), tumble (upon), bump into, come across, run across, run against, run into, run upon
    related: luck (out, on, onto, or into), confront, face, discover, strike, turn up

Related Entry: Happen (upon) (verb)

Happen (upon) is a different word from Happening. The synonyms below are for happen (upon), not for happening.

  1. to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face

    "happened upon the hotel manager in the lobby and promptly complained about the room"

    similar: catch, chance (upon), encounter, meet, stumble (upon), bump into, cross paths (with), run across, run into, run upon
    related: accost, confront, face, greet, salute, collide (with), crash (into), crisscross, cross, pass, hit (upon), light (upon), tumble (to), reencounter, remeet
    near: avoid, dodge, duck, elude, escape, evade, shake, shun

Related Entry: Happening (by) (verb)

Happening (by) is a different word from Happening. The synonyms below are for happening (by), not for happening.

  1. as in bopping (into)

    similar: bopping (into), looking up, seeing, frequenting, hanging (at), haunting, resorting (to), barging (in), calling, coming by, coming over, dropping by, dropping in, popping (in), running (over), running in, stepping in, stopping (by or in), visiting

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Happening

The most common words with a similar meaning to Happening:

Slang: cool, fresh, going down
à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable, hip, in, modish, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish, supercool, swell, swish, trendy, voguish, aboil, abubble, abuzz, alive, animated, astir, brisk, bustling, busy, buzzing, flourishing, hopping, humming, kinetic, lively, rousing, stirring, thriving, vibrant, big, crowd-pleasing, du jour, faddish

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Happening

Words with the opposite meaning of Happening:

dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unmodish, unstylish, asleep, dead, inactive, lifeless, sleepy, unpopular

Related Words for Happening

downtown, edgy, funky, dapper, dashing, dressy, kicky, natty, rakish, sassy, saucy, spiffy, spruce, chichi, classy, flossy, haute, nobby, posh, ritzy, soigné, swank, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, sophisticated, stately, tasteful

Near Antonyms of Happening

cheesy, tacky, unattractive, unbecoming, graceless, inelegant, tasteless, trashy, unhandsome, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, disheveled, messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy, washed-up, despised, detested, disliked, hated, rejected, insignificant, unimportant, indistinguished

Origin & Etymology of Happening

First known use: 15th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Happening

What does "Happening" mean?

"Happening" means something that happens, occurrence. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: something that happens, occurrence. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Happening"?

Other words for "Happening" include à la mode, au courant, chic, cool, exclusive, fashionable, fresh and hip. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Happening" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Happening"?

There are 213 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Happening". Common alternatives include à la mode, au courant, chic, cool, exclusive, fashionable, fresh, hip, in and modish.

What is a slang word for "Happening"?

Slang words for "Happening" include cool, fresh and going down.

What is the opposite of "Happening"?

Antonyms of "Happening" include dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable and unmodish. Near antonyms include cheesy, tacky, unattractive and unbecoming.

How do you use "Happening" in a sentence?

Examples of "Happening" in a sentence: "those are some happening duds, man"; "the downtown theater district is a happening place this autumn"; "that might be a happening outfit right now, but not on a woman who'll never see 40 again".

Is "Happening" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Happening" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Happening"?

"Happening" is pronounced /ˈha-pə-niŋ/ and divided into syllables as hap·pen·ing.