Dictionary / happy
happy
- adjective
- noun
- verb
- from Old Norse
Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “happy” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous.
Music makes me feel happy.
- Experiencing the effect of favourable fortune; favored by fortune or luck; fortunate, lucky.
"Historians, you think," said Miss Tilney, "are not happy in their flights of fancy. They display imagination without raising interest. […]"1803 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XIV, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 256:
- Content, willing, satisfied (with or to do something); having no objection (to something).
Are you happy to pay me back by the end of the week?
- usuallyBringing or being an instance of favourable fortune; apt, felicitous, fortunate, propitious.
happy coincidence
- in compoundsFavoring or inclined to use.
slaphappy, trigger-happy
- oftenrareDexterous, ready, skilful.
- Implying “May you have a happy ⁓” or similar; used in phrases to wish someone happiness or good fortune at the time of a festival, celebration, or other event or activity.
Happy birthday!
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- archaicElect or saved after death, blessed.
noun
- informalrareA happy event, thing, person, etc.
The strike split the Chicano community. Many workers at Farah crossed picket lines and continued to keep the plant operating. They were known as the "happies" because they wore buttons which featured a smiling face and the slogan, "I'm happy at Farah. …"1994, Lauri Coyle, Gail Hershatter, Emily Honig, “‘Why Did I Put Up With It All These Years’: The Farah Strike”, in Maxine Schwartz Seller, editor, Immigrant Women (SUNY Series in Ethnicity and Race in American Life), 2n
verb
- informalintransitiveOften followed by up: to become happy; to brighten up, to cheer up.
Whenever I started drinking again after abstaining for any period of time, it usually was an effort to relieve stress and to "happy up."2001, John L. Bullion, “Jokes”, in In the Boat with LBJ, Plano, Tex.: Republic of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 294:
- informaltransitiveOften followed by up: to make happy; to brighten, to cheer, to enliven.
People really didn't want their Party Motivators in their photos, anonymous dancers, happying up the place. It spooked them.2007, Mireille Juchau, “Sanctuary”, in Burning In, Artarmon, N.S.W.: Giramondo Publishing for the Writing & Society Research Group, University of Western Sydney, →ISBN, page 201:
Cross-check: WordNet senses (4)
- adjectiveenjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
- adjectivemarked by good fortune — also: felicitous
- adjectiveeagerly disposed to act or to be of service — also: glad
- adjectivewell expressed and to the point — also: well-chosen
Synonyms: berserk, blissed out, blithe, buoyant, chirpy, blithesome, bonnie, bright, cheerful, cheerly, cheery, chuffed
Antonyms: dejected, depressed, discontented, dissatisfied, gloomy, miserable, sad, unhappy
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)happy
- Middle Englishhappy “fortunate, happy”
- Old Norseheppinn “fortunate, happy”
From Middle English happy (“fortunate, happy”), perhaps an alteration of Middle English happyn, happen (“fortunate, happy”), possibly related to or from Old Norse heppinn (“fortunate, happy”); and potentially assimilated to be equivalent to hap (“chance, luck, fortune”) + -y. Compare also Icelandic heppinn (“lucky”), Faroese heppin (“fortunate, lucky, happy”), Norwegian Nynorsk heppen (“lucky”), Scots happin (“fortunate, blessed”). See further at hap.
Derivatives — words built from “happy”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “happy” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “happy” came from before it was English.
The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
happy a. [From Hap chance.]
- Favored by hap, luck, or fortune; lucky; fortunate; successful; prosperous; satisfying desire; as, a happy expedient; a happy effort; a happy venture; a happy omen.
- Experiencing the effect of favorable fortune; having the feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, as peace, tranquillity, comfort; contented; joyous; as, happy hours, happy thoughts.
- Dexterous; ready; apt; felicitous.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous.
Music makes me feel happy.
Happye are thy men, and happie are these thy seruantes[…]1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, II. Cronicles ix:[7], folio xcv, recto,
adjectiveMeaning: Experiencing the effect of favourable fortune; favored by fortune or luck; fortunate, lucky.
"Historians, you think," said Miss Tilney, "are not happy in their flights of fancy. They display imagination without raising interest. […]"1803 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XIV, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 256:
adjectiveMeaning: Content, willing, satisfied (with or to do something); having no objection (to something).
Are you happy to pay me back by the end of the week?
Yes, I am happy with the decision.
adjectiveMeaning: Bringing or being an instance of favourable fortune; apt, felicitous, fortunate, propitious.
happy coincidence
You would, even by this most favourable result, be at best only replaced in the situation, and restored to the happy opportunity which you at present possess:[…]1804, [James Stephen], The Opportunity; or, Reasons for an Immediate Alliance with St. Domingo, London: Charles Whittingham, →OCLC, page 101:
adjectiveMeaning: Favoring or inclined to use.
slaphappy, trigger-happy
We live in a sue-happy society. If Santa slides off your roof and busts his tailbone, he could sue you, and probably will.2002, Dan Benson, “Stupid Mistake #9: Following Fads vs. Staying the Course”, in 12 Stupid Mistakes People Make with Their Money, Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, →ISBN, page 128:
adjectiveMeaning: Implying “May you have a happy ⁓” or similar; used in phrases to wish someone happiness or good fortune at the time of a festival, celebration, or other event or activity.
Happy birthday!
Happy Fourth of July!
adjectiveMeaning: enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
a happy smile
spent many happy days on the beach
adjectiveMeaning: marked by good fortune
a happy outcome
adjectiveMeaning: well expressed and to the point
a happy turn of phrase
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
happy
/ˈhæpi/ · hap·py
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
happy
/ˈhæpi/ · hap·py · adjective, noun, verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “happy” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“Music makes me feel happy.”
Circle the meaning used.
“Are you happy to pay me back by the end of the week?”
Circle the meaning used.
“happy coincidence”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “happy” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Old Norse heppinn. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — happy
Which meaning, sentence 1: C. Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. Content, willing, satisfied (with or to do something); having no objection (to something).
Which meaning, sentence 3: A. Bringing or being an instance of favourable fortune; apt, felicitous, fortunate, propitious.
Origin: D. Old Norse (Old Norse heppinn)
Journey: English happy ← Middle English happy ← Old Norse heppinn
Some derivatives: dance-happy, demob-happy, fappy, flag-happy, gate-happy, gun-happy, happification, happify
Original meaning: Old Norse heppinn — “fortunate, happy”
Etymology: From Middle English happy (“fortunate, happy”), perhaps an alteration of Middle English happyn, happen (“fortunate, happy”), possibly related to or from Old Norse heppinn (“fortunate, happy”); and potentially assimilated to be equivalent to hap (“chance, luck, fortune”) + -y. Compare also Icelandic heppinn (“lucky”), Faroese heppin (“fortunate, lucky, happy”), Norwegian Nynorsk heppen (“lucky”), Scots happin (“fortunate, blessed”). See further at hap.
Sources: Wiktionary “happy” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/happy#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/happy