felicity

¹ American  

[fi-lis-i-tee] / fɪˈlɪs ɪ ti /

noun

plural

felicities

1. the state of being happy, especially in a high degree; bliss.

   marital felicity.

2. an instance of this.

3. a source of happiness.

4. a skillful faculty.

   felicity of expression.

5. an instance or display of this.

   the many felicities of the poem.

6. Archaic. good fortune.

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Felicity ² American  

[fi-lis-i-tee] / fɪˈlɪs ɪ ti /

Also Felicita

noun

1. a female given name, form of Felicia.

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felicity British  

/ fɪˈlɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. happiness; joy

2. a cause of happiness

3. an appropriate expression or style

4. the quality or display of such expressions or style

5. philosophy appropriateness (of a speech act). The performative I appoint you ambassador can only possess felicity if uttered by one in whom the authority for such appointments is vested

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Related Words

See happiness.

Other Word Forms

• nonfelicity noun

Etymology

Origin of felicity

1350–1400; Middle English felicite (from Anglo-French ) from Latin fēlīcitās, equivalent to fēlīci- (stem of fēlīx ) “happy” + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

Felicity is a state of happiness or the quality of joy. Sitting on the roof with a telescope and iced tea on a clear, starry night is one way to find perfect felicity — a happy place. Felicity comes from the Latin fēlīcitās, meaning "happiness." A synonym for felicity is "blissfulness." People, places, and things can have felicity: "His personality was so warm and full of felicity that we felt at ease the minute we met him." Or you can be in a state of felicity: "A full stomach, a fluffy couch, and the felicity of a Sunday-afternoon nap."

Example Sentences

Hindus believe Hinglaj Mata is one the places where the remains of Sati, the goddess of marital felicity and longevity, fell to earth after she ended her life.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2024

Neglecting to explore this gives the viewer little reason to witness that struggle beyond the lesson of it; there must be, should be, the counterbalancing representation of felicity, and in large doses.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2020

As Anne Enright noted years ago, “Hadley, for all the felicity of her prose style, is an immensely subversive writer.”

From The Guardian • Feb. 9, 2019

It falls to some highly skilled performers to keep us up to speed, and no one accomplishes this with more felicity than Emily Shackleford.

From Washington Post • Dec. 3, 2018

Mr. Philips visited them all, and this opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen