Words for when you are on top of the world

Happiness Has Many Names: Did You Know These 12?

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For Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, happiness is a warm puppy. For some, it's a habit. For others, it is a philosophy, a quest, or an ideal, among many other things. Happiness can be described in as many ways as there are people in the world. It's a feeling that transcends cultures, languages, and time itself, expressed through a rich mosaic of words and idioms. Join us on a linguistic journey through the lexicon of happiness, discovering the many shades and hues that color our most joyful moments.

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Euphoria is a word derived from the Greek word euphoros, which means "bearing well." This term is used to describe a profound and exhilarating sense of joy and elation (more on this one later) that goes beyond conventional happiness.

Euphoria is a state of intense and overwhelming bliss, often linked to extraordinary experiences or events. This term isn't merely about feeling content or pleased; it's about experiencing a surge of heightened emotions that transcend the ordinary. You are not simply happy, you are euphoric.

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Coming from the Old French merriment, this term describes the conviviality and cheerfulness present in shared moments of joy and celebration. It captures the essence of a lively atmosphere filled with laughter, amusement, and unrestrained exultation.

Merriment is a word that often finds its place during festivities or gatherings, highlighting the contagious nature of happiness that spreads among individuals in a collective celebration. It embodies not just personal happiness but also the shared joy.

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Aside from being a George Harrison album, the expression on Cloud Nine has always described extreme happiness. Someone who is on Cloud Nine is experiencing a euphoric sensation.

The expression itself comes from the classifications of clouds defined by the US Weather Bureau in the 1950s, in which Cloud Nine is listed as the fluffy cumulonimbus type considered to be the most attractive of all cloud formations.

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Another word emerging from Old French, gaiete translates into gaiety, a term that embodies a spirited and cheerful attitude. It is used to describe a sense of lightheartedness and exuberance, reflecting the carefree aspects of happiness.

The essence of this term lies in the unreserved expression of happiness that, much like the case of merriment, is often found in moments of shared laughter and shared experiences, where the carefree spirit uplifts both individuals and the collective mood.

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The many nuances of happiness have exact terms to describe every single one. Derived from the Latin elatio, meaning "a raising up", elation represents a profound sense of happiness.

To be elated is to be in an uplifted mood, to experience a feeling of jubilation and a surge of positive emotions that significantly elevate one's spirits. Elation often accompanies moments of personal triumph or success, embodying a state where one feels almost lifted to a higher emotional plane due to the intensity of one's happiness.

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Another word derived from Latin, felicitas translates to "happiness". The term felicity transmits a deep and enduring sense of joy and contentment. It represents a state of true and intense happiness and fulfillment, often associated with a sense of well-being and satisfaction.

To find perfect felicity is to find a happy place for oneself. It might be a simple pleasure as sitting in silence with a book on a comfortable couch or something more profound like achieving a personal goal and taking the time to enjoy it.

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The word blithe sometimes has a less favorable definition: someone who doesn't give enough consideration to a certain issue. Here, we are focusing on the more positive use of the term. Rooted in Old English bliðe, this word is used to describe a cheerful demeanor. It expresses a light-hearted and joyous state, with an absence of worry or trouble.

The term blithe captures a sense of untroubled happiness and a cheerful, carefree attitude toward life in general.

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A state of joy so extreme that makes one feel like being part of an out-of-body experience, the term ecstatic comes from the Greek ekstatikos, which quite literally means "to be outside oneself".

The word ecstatic embodies an overwhelming and heightened state of joy and rapture. It describes an intense emotional experience, where one feels transported beyond normal boundaries of happiness.

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An apt description for when feeling triumphantly happy, the word exultant derives from the Latin exsultare which means "to leap up". It expresses an exuberant and victorious sense of joy, a jubilant celebration or rejoicing, often following a significant achievement or success.

Whether celebrating a significant milestone, being promoted at work, or achieving a long-desired goal, feeling exultant is the natural response.

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Rooted in the Latin jubilatio meaning "to shout for joy", the word jubilant represents an exultant and euphoric state of celebration. It embodies an unrestrained and joyous expression of happiness, often associated with revelry, cheering, and a sense of triumph.

A term that can be aptly associated with cheering crowds in any kind of event, jubilant ties directly to the idea of vocalizing joy, emphasizing the exultant and euphoric nature of this profound emotional state.

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A word that expresses a calmer kind of happiness than most of the ones showcased in this list, blissful is derived from the Old English bliss, which embodies a state of profound and serene happiness.

This term describes an overwhelming sense of contentment, tranquility, and joy, often associated with an idyllic state of being. To be blissful is to experience a deep and enduring form of happiness, where one feels completely at peace with oneself and fulfilled.

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A popular contemporary expression, over the moon describes a feeling of immense happiness or delight. It conveys the idea of being so elated that one feels as if one has soared past the moon, signifying a state of sheer ecstasy and euphoria.

The origin of this expression comes from a well-known 16th-century nursery rhyme called "Hey Diddle Diddle" (originally written as "High Diddle Diddle"). The rhyme itself has no meaning, but it says: "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun and the dish ran away with the spoon!"

THE WORD FOR WORD IS WORD

12 fun language paradoxes and words that describe themselves

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Autological words? Language paradoxes? Join us in this article to explore the fun consequences of self-referential language.

Autological words or homological words are words that happen to express a property that they themselves possess. Like noun is a noun, or English is actually English, these examples of recursive meaning within a word can be quite fun to think about.

The opposite of an autological word would be a heterological word, meaning one that doesn’t apply to itself. For example, the word long isn’t a long word itself, and monosyllabic has more than one syllable.

A paradox arises when one tries to answer the question: "Is heterological a heterological word itself? Before reading further, try to make the math in your head, and you will soon find that giving a straight answer is almost impossible without modifying the original definitions of heterological and autological.

Before this starts giving you a headache, we are not here to rummage into borderline mathematical problems within the logical structure of modern English, so don’t worry! Autological words can be a lot of fun on their own, even without pesky paradoxes popping up. Here are some examples.

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This is a real word present in the English dictionary, in case you are wondering. Humorously popularized by The Simpsons, embiggened is quite a fun example, since it is a sort of ungainly enlargement of itself.

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This could very much depend on context, but interesting derives from the Anglo-Norman word interesse, and a blend of an older Latin word that referred to something important and an Old French expression relating to damage or loss. So, interesting is a somewhat interesting word by itself, at least if you like etymologies. Arguably, one could also say that it is a heterological word, since interesting is the go-to word for most people when they don’t really have anything interesting to say about something.

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Not for you maybe, but pronounceable is a difficult word to pronounce for many people, particularly for people who aren’t native speakers of English.

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Ever heard of this one before? Don’t worry, me neither. Lexiphanic means something - or someone - that uses pretentious or bombastic language.

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In this list! Ha!

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Could we give unhyphenated a hyphen just for the sake of ruining this self-descriptive madness? Maybe. But it wouldn’t make too much sense. Hyphenated, on the other hand, is heterological, as it fails to describe itself.

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I love this one. If you don’t get it, count the syllables! Multisyllabic is also a related autological word.

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A long, unnecessary word that literally means "a long word". It also derives from the Latin root sēsquipedālis, which means "a foot and a half long".

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Lots of vowels in this one, so… it passes the autological test.

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Who even conceived this word? Just like the literary monster, this word is exactly what it means, a combination of two other words, or a portmanteau (that just happens to be autological too!).

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In the context of this list. Don’t worry, we are almost at the end.

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Funnily enough, this word also happens to be a buzzword. It may be even more popular than the actual buzzwords it refers to.

If you loved these autological words, check out our other articles! At Dictionary Scoop we explore all language-related topics and trivia, from words with strange properties like the ones in this list to untranslatable ones, or the history and etymology behind many English words.