Happy Meaning

/ˈhæpi/
A1

Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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adjHaving 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.

adjExperiencing the effect of favourable fortune; favored by fortune or luck; fortunate, lucky.

Don't worry, be happy!
If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time.
Our assistants will be happy to answer your queries.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
She felt very ____ when she heard the good news.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was extremely ____ after she received the news that she had been accepted into university.

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.

"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, column 1:
"Happy is that people that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 144:15:
"For the moſt happy univerſe is not one that conſiſts of the greateſt poſſible number of the moſt happy beings only ;[…]" — 1731, Thomas Bayes, Divine Benevolence, London, page 73:
"Whate’er the Paſſion, Knowledge, Fame, or Pelf, Not one will change his Neighbour with himſelf. The Learn’d are happy, Nature to explore ; The Fool is happy, that he knows no more ; The Rich are happy in the plenty given ; The Poor contents him with the Care of Heaven." — 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle II, London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC, page 17:
"But since the happy are sufficient to themselves they have no need of friends; and hence it is said," — 1807, “That the Happy Man has Need of Worthy Friends”, in William Bridgman, transl., The Paraphrase of an Anonymous Greek Writer, (hitherto Published Under the Name of Andronicus Rhodius) on the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, London: Charles Whittingham, →OCLC, book IX, page 415:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
She felt very ____ when she heard the good news.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was extremely ____ after she received the news that she had been accepted into university.

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