happiness

happiness
hap‧pi‧ness /ˈhæpinəs, ˈhæpinɪs/ noun [uncountable]the state of being happy:
    Juliet’s eyes shone with happiness.
    We want our children to have the best possible chance of happiness.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ great happiness (=a lot of happiness) His grandchildren bring him great happiness.
   ▪ true/real happiness (=having all the qualities which happiness should have) At last, she found true happiness with a man she loved.
   ▪ perfect/pure/sheer happiness (=happiness that is as good as it can be) The birth of my child was a moment of sheer happiness.
   ▪ human happiness (=happiness felt by people) One of the greatest sources of human happiness is love.
   ▪ personal happiness In Oxford, he at last found personal happiness and intellectual fulfilment.
   ▪ lasting happiness (=happiness that continues) Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
   ▪ future happiness Living together before you marry is no guarantee of future happiness.
   ▪ domestic happiness (=happiness that comes from family relationships and life at home) After six years with Joe, the normality of domestic happiness bored her.
   ▪ marital happiness (=happiness that comes from being married) Does being similar to your wife or husband lead to marital happiness?
■ verbs
   ▪ find happiness It’s a story about a music composer who unexpectedly finds happiness as a teacher.
   ▪ bring (somebody) happiness (=make someone happy) He wrongly believes that money can bring happiness.
   ▪ achieve happiness He would never achieve true happiness until he took control of his life.
   ▪ be filled with happiness As I drove back home, I was filled with happiness.
   ▪ glow with happiness (=look very happy) The bride’s face seemed to glow with happiness.
   ▪ wish somebody (every) happiness/wish (every) happiness to somebody (=say that you hope someone will have a happy life) I would like you to join me in wishing every happiness to Annabelle and Steven.
■ phrases
   ▪ a feeling of happiness Being by the ocean gave her a feeling of great happiness.
   ▪ the pursuit of happiness (=the act of trying to achieve happiness) The Declaration of Independence guarantees ‘liberty’ and ‘the pursuit of happiness.’
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ happiness the feeling of being happy: Happiness is more important than money. | I could see the happiness in her eyes.
   ▪ pleasure the feeling you have when you enjoy doing something, or when something happens that you enjoy: Are you taking the trip for business or pleasure? | His music has given pleasure to a great many people over the years.
   ▪ cheerfulness happy feelings, which show in your expression, your voice, and your behaviour: 'Morning, everybody!' she said with a loud cheerfulness. | His normal cheerfulness seemed to have returned.
   ▪ satisfaction the feeling you have when you have done something well, or when something is as good as it should be: She stood back and looked at her work with satisfaction. | He gets a lot of satisfaction from helping young people in his coaching job.
   ▪ contentment a quietly happy and satisfied feeling: Joey sighed with contentment, snuggling down in his warm bed.
■ great happiness
   ▪ joy especially written a feeling of great happiness: The sisters hugged and cried tears of joy. | It was a day of great joy for the whole town. | Most people would be jumping with joy.
   ▪ delight the feeling you have when you are very pleased and excited because something good has happened: They watched with delight as their new son started walking. | To her delight, she discovered the perfect wedding present.
   ▪ bliss a feeling of very great happiness and great pleasure – used when something has a great effect on your senses: Lying in the warm sun and listening to the sea felt like sheer bliss (=complete bliss). | Her idea of bliss is to be curled up on the sofa watching a romantic comedy with a big bowl of popcorn. | The happy couple looked a picture of domestic bliss.
   ▪ elation written a feeling of great happiness and excitement, especially because you have achieved something or something good has happened to you: As they reached the top, the climbers experienced a moment of elation. | Her mood suddenly changed from tears and misery to a feeling of elation.
   ▪ euphoria an extremely strong feeling of happiness and excitement, especially because you have achieved something, or because of the effects of a drug: The euphoria that new parents feel quickly changes to exhaustion. | The euphoria of Ireland’s amazing victory over England last Sunday has died away. | The drug produces a feeling of euphoria.
   ▪ ecstasy an extremely strong feeling of happiness and pleasure, especially sexual pleasure: It was a moment of sheer ecstacy (=complete ecstacy). | the ecstasy of their love-making