• (RP) IPA: /ˈhæpiː/
• (GA) IPA: /ˈhæpi/

happy (comparative happier, superlative happiest)

1. 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.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Psalms 144:15 ↗:

     Happy is that people that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.

   • 1731, Thomas Bayes, Divine Benevolence: or, An Attempt to Prove that the Principal End of the Divine Providence and Government is the Happiness of His Creatures: Being an Answer to a Pamphlet, Entitled, Divine Rectitude; or, An Inquiry Concerning the Moral Perfections of the Deity. With a Refutation of the Notions therein Advanced Concerning Beauty and Order, the Reason of Punishment, and the Necessity of a State of Trial antecedent to Perfect Happiness, London: Printed for John Noon, at the White-Hart in Cheapside, near Mercers-Chapel, OCLC 642498368 ↗; quoted in Andrew I. Dale, Most Honourable Remembrance: The Life and Work of Thomas Bayes (Studies and Sources in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences), New York, N.Y.: Springer, 2003, ISBN 978-0-387-00499-0, page 138:

     […] For the most happy universe is not one that consists of the greatest possible number of the most happy beings only; but one that consists of that, and the greatest possible number of beings next inferior to the first rank, and so downward, till we come to those that approach the nearest to insensible matter.

   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle II, London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], OCLC 960856019 ↗, page 17 ↗:

     Whate'er the Paſſion, Knowledge, Fame, or pelf#English|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.

2. experience#Verb|Experiencing the effect of favourable fortune; favor#Verb|favored by fortune or luck; fortunate, lucky, propitious.

3. content#Adjective|Content, 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.

4. (Of acts, speech, etc.) Appropriate, apt, felicitous.

   a happy coincidence

   • 1817 December, [Jane Austen], chapter XIV, in Northanger Abbey; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. [...] With a Biographical Notice of the Author. In Four Volumes, volume I, London: John Murray, […], 1818, OCLC 318384910 ↗, page 256 ↗:

     "Historians, you think," said Miss Tilney, "are not happy in their flights of fancy. They display imagination without raising interest.  […]"

   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 58:

     ‘I had the happy notion of adding an egg,’ Williams shouted back. ‘It poaches in the soup. Not unlike an Italian stracciatella. Singularly toothsome...’

5. (in combination) Favoring or inclined to use.

   slaphappy, trigger-happy

6. (rare, of people, often followed by "at" or "in") Dexterous, ready, skilful.

• (contented, joyous) cheerful, content, delighted, elated, exultant, glad, joyful, jubilant, merry, orgasmic
• (fortunate, lucky) fortunate, lucky, propitious
• See also Thesaurus:happy

• (contented, joyous) blue, depressed, down, miserable, moody, morose, sad, unhappy
• (fortunate, lucky) unfortunate, unlucky, unpropitious
• (content, satisfied) disenchanted, dissatisfied
• (appropriate, apt) inappropriate, inapt, unfelicitous

• French: heureux, heureuse, content, contente, bienheureux, bienheureuse
• German: zufrieden, fröhlich, froh, freudig
• Italian: felice, lieto
• Portuguese: feliz
• Russian: счастли́вый
• Spanish: feliz, alegre, contento, satisfecho

• French: heureux, chanceux
• German: glücklich
• Italian: fortunato
• Portuguese: feliz
• Russian: уда́чный
• Spanish: afortunado, feliz

• French: satisfait, satisfaite, content, contente, (willingly) prêt, (willingly) prête
• Italian: contento
• Portuguese: feliz, contente

• French: heureux

1. preceded by the: happy people as a group.

happy (plural happies)

1. (informal, rare) A happy event, thing, person, etc.

happy (happies, present participle happying; past and past participle happied)

1. (intransitive, informal) Often followed by up: to become happy; to brighten up, to cheer up.
2. (transitive, informal) Often followed by up: to make happy; to brighten, to cheer#Verb|cheer, to enliven.

• (to make happy) happify

1. A male given name.