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adj. hap·pi·er, hap·pi·est
2. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.
3. Characterized by good luck. See Synonyms at fortunate.
4. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.

[Middle English, from hap, luck; see hap.]

hap′pi·ly adv.
hap′pi·ness n.


adj, -pier or -piest
1. feeling, showing, or expressing joy; pleased
2. willing: I'd be happy to show you around.
3. causing joy or gladness
4. fortunate; lucky: the happy position of not having to work.
5. aptly expressed; appropriate: a happy turn of phrase.
6. (postpositive) slightly intoxicated
7. (in combination): happy birthday; happy Christmas.
[C14: see hap1, -y1]
ˈhappily adv ˈhappiness n


(ˈhæp i)

adj. -pi•er, -pi•est.
3. fortunate or lucky: a happy, fruitful land.
[1300–50; see hap1, -y1]


1. 'glad'


I'm so glad that you passed the exam.
She seemed glad of the chance to leave early.
2. 'happy'


She was happy that his sister was coming.


She always seemed such a happy woman.

Be Careful!

3. 'cheerful'


The men stayed cheerful and determined even when things got difficult.



There are a number of adjectives which are used to indicate how happy or sad someone is. The adjectives in the following list are arranged from 'most happy' to 'least happy':

  • ecstatic, elated, euphoric
    His wife gave birth to their first child, and he was ecstatic about it.
    'That was one of the best races of my life,' said an elated Hakkinen.
    It had received euphoric support from the public.
  • joyful, radiant, jubilant
    A wedding is a joyful celebration of love.
    On her wedding day the bride looked truly radiant.
    Hogg was jubilant after winning the men's doubles for the 10th time.
  • happy, cheerful, jolly
    Marina was a confident, happy child.
    They are both very cheerful in spite of their colds.
    She was a jolly, kindhearted woman.
  • light-hearted
    They were light-hearted and prepared to enjoy life.
  • contented, fulfilled
    She was gazing at him with a soft, contented smile on her face.
    I feel more fulfilled doing this than I've ever done.
  • dissatisfied, moody, discontented
    82% of voters are dissatisfied with the way their country is being governed.
    David's mother was unstable and moody.
    The government tried to appease discontented workers.
  • sad, unhappy, depressed, gloomy, glum, dejected, despondent, dispirited
    I'd grown fond of our little house and felt sad to leave it.
    Her marriage is in trouble and she is desperately unhappy.
    She's been very depressed and upset about this whole situation.
    Do you tend to be over-serious or gloomy?
    She was very glum and was obviously missing her children.
    Everyone has days when they feel dejected or down.
    I feel despondent when my work is rejected.
    I left eventually at six o'clock feeling utterly dispirited and depressed.
  • miserable, wretched
    I took a series of badly paid secretarial jobs which made me really miserable.
    I feel really confused and wretched.


1. 'lucky'

You say that someone is lucky when something nice happens to them, or when they always seem to have good luck.

You're a lucky girl to have so many friends.
The lucky winners were given £5000 each.
2. 'happy'

Don't use 'lucky' to say that someone has feelings of pleasure and contentment. The word you use is happy.

Sarah's such a happy person – she's always laughing.
Barbara felt tremendously happy when she heard the news.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.happy - enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasurehappy - enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure; "a happy smile"; "spent many happy days on the beach"; "a happy marriage"
content, contented - satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are; "a contented smile"
euphoric - exaggerated feeling of well-being or elation
joyful - full of or producing joy; "make a joyful noise"; "a joyful occasion"
joyous - full of or characterized by joy; "felt a joyous abandon"; "joyous laughter"
2.happy - marked by good fortunehappy - marked by good fortune; "a felicitous life"; "a happy outcome"
fortunate - having unexpected good fortune; "other, less fortunate, children died"; "a fortunate choice"
3.happy - eagerly disposed to act or to be of servicehappy - eagerly disposed to act or to be of service; "glad to help"
willing - disposed or inclined toward; "a willing participant"; "willing helpers"
4.happy - well expressed and to the point; "a happy turn of phrase"; "a few well-chosen words"


1. pleased, delighted, content, contented, thrilled, glad, blessed, blest, sunny, cheerful, jolly, merry, ecstatic, gratified, jubilant, joyous, joyful, elated, over the moon (informal), overjoyed, blissful, rapt, blithe, on cloud nine (informal), cock-a-hoop, walking on air (informal), floating on air I'm just happy to be back running.
3. willing, ready, glad, contented, inclined, disposed I'm happy to answer any questions.
willing unwilling, loath
4. fortunate, lucky, timely, appropriate, convenient, favourable, auspicious, propitious, apt, befitting, advantageous, well-timed, opportune, felicitous, seasonable a happy coincidence
fortunate unhappy, unfortunate, unlucky, inapt
"Happy the man, and happy he alone"
"He who can call today his own;"
"He who, secure within, can say,"
"Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today" [John Dryden Imitation of Horace]
"The happy man is not he who seems thus to others, but who seems thus to himself" [Publilius Syrus Moral Sayings]
"Call no man happy till he dies, he is at best but fortunate" [Solon]
"Happy men are grave. They carry their happiness cautiously, as they would a glass filled to the brim which the slightest movement could cause to spill over, or break" [Jules Barbey D'Aurevilly Les Diaboliques]


1. Characterized by luck or good fortune:
2. Being in or showing good spirits:
3. Having achieved satisfaction, as of one's goal:
4. Providing joy and pleasure:
5. Marked by festal celebration:
6. Suitable for a particular person, condition, occasion, or place:
7. Eagerly compliant:


A. ADJ (happier (compar) (happiest (superl)))
1. (= contented) → feliz
we've been very happy hereaquí hemos sido muy felices
I don't think they're very happy togetherno creo que sean muy felices juntos
to make sb happyhacer feliz a algn
you've just made me a very happy man!¡me acabas de hacer el hombre más feliz del mundo!
to be as happy as Larry or a lark or a sandboyestar como unas pascuas
2. (= cheerful) → alegre
she has always been a happy little girlsiempre ha sido una niña muy alegre
he has a happy temperamenttiene un temperamento alegre
3. (= satisfied, pleased) → contento
the boss is waiting for you and he isn't very happyte está esperando el jefe y no parece muy contento
to be happy to do sth: I'm just happy to be back runningsólo estoy contento de poder volver a correr
I am happy to tell you thattengo mucho gusto en comunicarle que ...
we'll be happy to helpestaremos encantados de ayudar
I'd be happy to check it for youno me importa nada comprobártelo, con mucho gusto se lo comprobaré(more frm)
yes, I'd be happy tosí, con mucho gusto
he seems quite happy to let things go on as they areparece no importarle dejar que las cosas sigan como están
we are not happy about the planno estamos contentos con el proyecto
we're very happy for younos alegramos mucho por ti
to keep sb happytener a algn contento
she wasn't happy with his workno estaba contenta con su trabajo
4. (= at ease, unworried) → tranquilo
don't worry about keeping him waiting, he seems quite happyno te preocupes por hacerle esperar, él parece muy tranquilo
I'm quite happy to waitno me importa esperar
5. (= pleasant, joyful) [childhood, life, marriage, home] → feliz; [place, atmosphere] → alegre
it was the happiest day of my lifefue el día más feliz de mi vida
they were having such a happy time splashing aroundse lo estaban pasando tan bien chapoteando en el agua
we spent many happy hours playing on the beachpasamos muchas horas maravillosas jugando en la playa
happy birthday!¡feliz cumpleaños!
happy Christmas!¡feliz Navidad!, ¡felices Navidades!
a happy endingun final feliz
a happy eventun feliz acontecimiento
happy New Year!¡feliz Año Nuevo!
see also return A1
6. (= felicitous) [phrase] → afortunado, oportuno; [position, chance] → afortunado; [coincidence, idea] → feliz
a happy mediumun término medio
to strike a happy mediumencontrar un término medio
see also hunting
7. (= tipsy) → contentillo, alegre
B. CPD happy families NSING (Cards) → juego m de las familias
happy hour Nhappy hour m (hora durante la cual se paga menos por la bebida en los bares)


[ˈhæpi] adj
(= cheerful, contented) [person] → heureux/euse; [mood] → gai(e); [smile] → satisfait(e); [face] → heureux/euse; [day, occasion] → heureux/euse; [memory] → heureux/euse; [childhood, marriage, life] → heureux/euse; [place] → gai(e)
Janet looks happy → Janet a l'air heureuse.
It was the happiest day of my life → C'était le plus beau jour de ma vie.
to put on a happy face → faire bonne figure
(in greetings) happy birthday! → bon anniversaire!, joyeux anniversaire!
happy Christmas! → joyeux Noël!
happy New Year! → bonne année!
(= pleased, satisfied) [person, customer] → satisfait(e)
to keep sb happy → contenter qn
to be happy with sth [+ arrangements, work] → être satisfait(e) de qch
I'm very happy with your work → Je suis très satisfait de ton travail.
to be happy for sb (= delighted) → être content(e) pour qn
to be happy about doing sth → être content(e) de faire qch
to be happy to hear that ... → être heureux/euse d'apprendre que ...
I was happy to hear that you passed your exams → J'ai été heureux d'apprendre que tu as réussi tes examens.
(= willing) yes, I'd be happy to → oui, avec plaisir, oui, (bien) volontiers
to be happy to do sth → bien vouloir faire qch
to be happy for sb to do sth → être d'accord pour que qn fasse qch
(= fortunate) [coincidence] → heureux/euse
happy couple n
the happy couple → les jeunes mariés mpl
happy event n (= birth) the happy event → l'heureux événement m
happy-go-lucky [ˌhæpigəʊˈlʌki] adjinsouciant(e)
happy hour nhappy hour f dans un bar, heure pendant laquelle les consommations sont à prix réduit
happy medium njuste milieu m


adj (+er)
(= joyful, glad) person, smile, expression, time, life, home, marriageglücklich; atmosphereharmonisch; the happy couple (= newlyweds)das Brautpaar; a happy feelingein Glücksgefühl nt; that gives me a happy feelingdas macht mich glücklich; to make somebody happyjdn glücklich machen; they were having such a happy timesie hatten so viel Spaß; the school is a happy place, it’s a happy schoolan der Schule sind die Kinder glücklich; a happy atmosphere for their childreneine glückliche Umgebung für ihre Kinder; a happy endingein guter or glücklicher Ausgang, ein Happy End nt, → ein Happyend nt; happy birthday (to you)herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag; Happy Easter/Christmasfrohe Ostern/Weihnachten ? return N a
(= content, satisfied) (not) to be happy about or with somethingmit etw (nicht) zufrieden sein; to be happy to do something (= willing)etw gern tun; (= pleased)sich freuen, etw zu tun; (= relieved)froh sein, etw zu tun; that’s a risk I’m happy to takedieses Risiko gehe ich gern ein; I was happy to hear that you passed your exames hat mich gefreut zu hören, dass du die Prüfung bestanden hast; I’m just happy to be backich bin einfach nur froh, wieder da zu sein; to be happy to let somebody do somethingdamit einverstanden sein, dass jd etw tut; he’s happy to leave it to meer überlässt es mir gern
(= fortunate, felicitous) chance, coincidence, solution, choiceglücklich; by happy chancedurch einen glücklichen Zufall
(inf: = tipsy) → angeheitert, beschwipst (inf)


happy camper
n (inf)zufriedener or glücklicher Mensch; I’m not a happyich bin (überhaupt) nicht gut drauf (inf)
adj (pej inf Rel) servicemit Händeklatschen und moderner Musik
happy event
n (inf)frohes or freudiges Ereignis
happy families
n sing (Cards) → ˜ Quartett nt
adjunbekümmert, sorglos; I wish you wouldn’t be so happy about thingsich wollte, du wärest nicht bei allem so sorglos or würdest nicht alles so lässig nehmen (inf)
happy hour
n (in pubs etc) Zeit, in der Getränke zu ermäßigten Preisen angeboten werden
happy hunting ground
(Myth) → ewige Jagdgründe pl
(fig)Paradies nt
happy medium
ngoldener Mittelweg; to strike a happyden goldenen Mittelweg finden


[ˈhæpɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl)))
a. (pleased, content) → contento/a, felice; (cheerful) → allegro/a; (at ease, unworried) → tranquillo/a
happy with (arrangements) → soddisfatto/a di
we are not entirely happy about the plan → non siamo del tutto contenti del progetto
we're very happy for you → ci rallegriamo per te, siamo molto felici per te
yes, I'd be happy to → (certo,) con piacere, (ben) volentieri
I am happy to tell you that ... → sono felice or ho il piacere di informarti che...
a happy ending → un lieto fine
to be as happy as a lark → essere felice or contento/a come una pasqua
happy birthday! → buon compleanno!
happy Christmas/New Year! → buon Natale/anno!
b. (well-chosen, phrase, idea) → felice, indovinato/a; (lucky, position) → fortunato/a, favorevole
by a happy chance → per fortuna


(ˈhӕpi) adjective
1. having or showing a feeling of pleasure or contentment. a happy smile; I feel happy today.
2. willing. I'd be happy to help you.
3. lucky. By a happy chance I have the key with me.
ˈhappiness noun
ˈhappily adverb
The child smiled happily; Happily, (= Fortunately,) she arrived home safely.
ˌhappy-go-ˈlucky adjective
not worrying about what might happen. cheerful and happy-go-lucky.
happy medium
a sensible middle course between two extreme positions. I need to find the happy medium between starving and over-eating.


سَعِيد šťastný glad glücklich ευτυχισμένος feliz onnellinen heureux sretan felice 幸福な 행복한 gelukkig glad szczęśliwy feliz счастливый lycklig เป็นสุข mutlu hạnh phúc 快乐的


a. contento-a, alegre, feliz.


adj feliz, contento
References in classic literature ?
These heavenly blessings had seemed mere than enough for nearly five years, during which the good sister and I had kept house together, leading a life of tranquil happy days.