Happy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Happy (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. experiencing pleasure, satisfaction, or delight

   "made bread for the first time and was happy with the tasty result"

   similar: blissful, chuffed (British), delighted, glad, gratified, joyful, joyous, pleased, satisfied, thankful, tickled
   related: beaming, blithe, blithesome, buoyant, cheerful, cheery, gay, gladsome, lighthearted, sunny, upbeat, gleeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, merry, mirthful, smiling, beatific, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, intoxicated, rapturous, rhapsodic, exuberant, exultant, jubilant, rapt, rejoicing, thrilled, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine
   opposite: displeased, dissatisfied, joyless, sad, unhappy, unpleased, unsatisfied
   near: abject, aggrieved, anguished, blue, brokenhearted, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, disheartened, downcast, downhearted, forlorn, melancholy, doleful, dolorous, lachrymose, mournful, plaintive, sorrowful, sorry, woeful, black, dark, desolate, dispirited, gloomy, glum, gray, grieved, heartbroken, heartsick, miserable, woebegone, wretched

2. coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly

   "a happy discovery, finding the letter that would prove her innocence"

   similar: fluky, fortuitous, fortunate, heaven-sent, lucky, providential
   related: convenient, opportune, seasonable, timely, unexpected, unforeseen, unlooked-for, accidental, chance, coincidental, serendipitous, auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, heartening, hopeful, promising, propitious, benign, favorable, golden, good, halcyon, advantageous, beneficial, profitable
   opposite: hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless, star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky
   near: inconvenient, inopportune, unseasonable, untimely, anticipated, expected, foreseen, deliberate, intentional, planned, inauspicious, unpromising, calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous

3. feeling that one's needs or desires have been met

   "has been much happier ever since she moved"

   similar: content, contented, gratified, pleased, satisfied
   related: blissful, delighted, glad, joyful, joyous, jubilant, rejoicing, tickled, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, euphoric, overjoyed, rapturous, thrilled, appeased, mollified, pacified, placated
   opposite: discontent, discontented, displeased, dissatisfied, malcontent, malcontented, unhappy
   near: disaffected, disgruntled, displeased, unsatisfied, abject, aggrieved, anguished, brokenhearted, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, downcast, downhearted

4. having good luck

   "the happy person who is both appreciated and rewarded for all his hard work"

   similar: fortunate, lucky
   related: blessed, favored, gifted, privileged, fair, golden, promising, hot
   opposite: hapless, ill-fated, ill-starred, luckless, snakebit, star-crossed, unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky
   near: cursed, disadvantaged

5. meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation

   "the wine was a happy complement to such a fine meal"

   similar: applicable, appropriate, apt, becoming, befitting, felicitous, fit, fitted, fitting, good, meet, pretty, proper, right, suitable, in order
   related: condign, deserved, just, justified, needed, required, requisite, able, capable, competent, cut out, qualified, trained, pitch-perfect, acceptable, adequate, decent, kosher, satisfactory, serviceable, tolerable, correct, decorous, respectable, seemly, balanced, companionate, congruous, consonant, harmonious, rightful
   opposite: improper, inapplicable, inapposite, inappropriate, inapt, incongruous, indecent, infelicitous, malapropos, misbecoming, unapt, unbecoming, unbeseeming, unfit, unfitting, unhappy, unmeet, unseemly, unsuitable, wrong
   near: incapable, incompetent, inept, inexpert, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful, untrained, inadequate, intolerable, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, graceless, incorrect, indecorous, incompatible, uncongenial

6. having extreme or relentless concern

   "poll-happy pundits just care about which political candidate is winning, and never about the issues"

   similar: hung up, obsessed
   related: absorbed, anxious, concerned, distracted, engaged, engrossed, full, involved, knee-deep, occupied, preoccupied, prepossessed, worried, ardent, crazy, dotty, fervent, fervid, feverish, foolish, impassioned, nuts, passionate, silly
   near: apathetic, casual, cool, detached, disinterested, dispassionate, incurious, indifferent, insouciant, nonchalant, unconcerned, uncurious, unenthusiastic, uninterested, uninvolved