happy happy adjective delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing. -happy -happy combining form denoting excessive enthusiasm for or devotion to happier , comparative happiest superlative delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing. I'm so happy to see you! Synonyms: satisfied , blissful , contented , merry , cheerful , blithe , joyful , joyous Antonyms: sad delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing. I'm so happy to see you! characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy. a happy mood; a happy frame of mind. characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy. a happy frame of mind. willing to be helpful, as with assistance, a contribution, or participation. We’ll be happy to bring a couple of salads to the party. willing to be helpful, as with assistance, a contribution, or participation. We’ll be happy to bring a couple of salads to the party. favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky. Our home country is a happy, fruitful land. Synonyms: prosperous , successful , propitious , favorable favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky. Our home country is a happy, fruitful land. (used as part of an expression of good wishes on a special occasion). Happy Valentine’s Day to my husband. Happy Birthday, Grandpa! (used as part of an expression of good wishes on a special occasion). Happy Valentine’s Day to my husband. Happy Birthday, Grandpa! apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas. Their collaboration was a happy accident. Synonyms: pertinent , opportune , fitting , appropriate apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas. Their collaboration was a happy accident. obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination). He was a trigger-happy gangster. Everybody is gadget-happy these days. obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination). He was a trigger-happy gangster. Everybody is gadget-happy these days. happy as a clam . see happy as a clam . happy as a clam . see happy as a clam . feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased willing I'd be happy to show you around I'd be happy to show you around causing joy or gladness causing joy or gladness fortunate; lucky the happy position of not having to work fortunate; lucky the happy position of not having to work aptly expressed; appropriate a happy turn of phrase aptly expressed; appropriate a happy turn of phrase informal (postpositive) slightly intoxicated informal (postpositive) slightly intoxicated ( in combination ) happy birthday happy Christmas ( in combination ) happy Christmas denoting excessive enthusiasm for or devotion to gun-happy denoting excessive enthusiasm for or devotion to More idioms and phrases containing happy many happy returns

What is a basic definition of happy ? Happy describes a feeling of joy, delight, or glee. It also describes something that is related to or shows joy. Happy can describe someone being willing to do something or be helpful. Happy is used in many expressions that wish good tidings to another person. Happy has a few other senses as an adjective. Happy describes feeling really good, as when a person in a good mood that makes them smile. Happiness refers to this positive emotion. Happily means in a happy way. Real-life examples: Everybody has something that makes them happy. Cute animals, presents, compliments, and loved ones make most people feel happy. Used in a sentence: The surprise birthday party really made Abdul happy. Happy also describes something that shows or is related to feelings of happiness and joy. Used in a sentence: The friendly clown had a happy smile. Happy describes someone being willing to do something, especially to help or assist someone else. They don’t think whatever they will do is a problem or a chore. Real-life examples: Many experts are happy to show off their knowledge. Salespeople are often happy to explain things to customers if it means selling more items. Used in a sentence: I’d be happy to give you a ride to the mall since I was going there anyway. The word happy is used in many greetings and expressions that wish a person well or wish that they have a good future. Used in a sentence: Happy birthday! Other Word Forms overhappy adjective quasi-happy adjective Inflected Forms happier comparative happiest superlative Origin of happy First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle English; see origin at hap 1 ( def. ) , -y 1 ( def. ) Happy is a feeling of joy, pleasure, or good fortune — exactly how you'd feel if you learned that you won the lottery or got accepted into your number one choice of colleges. Happy hails from the Middle English word hap , meaning "good luck." Many of the early European words for happy actually referred to good luck, rather than a feeling of joy. On its own, happy means an enjoyable or satisfied state of being. When hyphenated, it can refer to an overwhelming inclination to do something. Someone who is trigger-happy, for example, has an overwhelming urge to shoot things, while a clothes-happy person is obsessed with taking trips to the mall. Example Sentences Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com. See Examples For: "I honestly think we're just happy that everyone reacted to the scripts the way we did when we read them, and that's all to thanks to this team," Rhys said. From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026 For now, new Servite baseball coach Eric Borba is just happy to have two quality players on his team, though beware what happens and what is said during USC-UCLA football week. From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026 They would, however, be happy with some guardrails on those models. From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026 "It's unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from," the post added. From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026 Even the soldiers seemed happy to share what little food they had. From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo Gasped Dr. Cook: "Thanks -happy," sank back into a coma. From Time Magazine Archive The more you complete your self-care tasks, the happier your bird becomes. From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026 I’m incredibly glad I decided to educate myself financially, and even happier that I decided to go back to school. From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026 The local assemblyman that introduced that law, Avelino Valencia, could hardly have been any happier Tuesday. From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026 "Since we've started producing the harm reduction messages, there's a lot more trust and confidence from the young people who are happier to engage with our volunteers," he said. From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026 He could fake upbeat, and sometimes did, but he was happier not bothering. From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis Without Walter, there is no happiest fan base in baseball. From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026 “We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm where the kids can have fun,” George told RTL. From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026 “The happiest workers can engender similar emotions in their customers, but they are also better at their jobs,” said the report. From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026 As her mother explained, B.P.J. “is the happiest I have ever seen her when she is accepted for who she is and able to participate in school sports.” From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026 We walked out of that building and I was the happiest man on earth. From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Just like flashcards, but way more fun Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.