hedonism

[ heed-n-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
2. devotion to pleasure as a way of life:

   The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.

   Synonyms: carousal, dissipation, debauchery, libertinism, sensualism

   Antonyms: self-denial, puritanism, abstemious, asceticism

hedonism

/ ˈhɛd-; ˈhiːdəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. ethics
   1. the doctrine that moral value can be defined in terms of pleasure See utilitarianism
   2. the doctrine that the pursuit of pleasure is the highest good
2. the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of principle
3. indulgence in sensual pleasures

hedonism

1. In ethics , the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life. Some hedonists, such as the Epicureans , have insisted that pleasure of the entire mind, not just pleasure of the senses, is this highest good.

Derived Forms

• heˈdonic, adjective
• ˈhedonist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hedonism¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek hēdonḗ “pleasure, enjoyment” + -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of hedonism¹

C19: from Greek hēdonē pleasure

Example Sentences

Journalist Olivia Petter says the cigarette has become a symbol that represents our nostalgia towards a bygone era of carefreeness, frivolity and hedonism and it's making an epic comeback in pop culture.

From BBC

"People see me in photographs surrounded by pretty models and think that I am a snobbish, high-maintenance designer who is about beauty and hedonism. When they meet me, they realise how fake that perception is," he told Vasudev.

From BBC

St. Marks is a den of hedonism.

From Los Angeles Times

When Rodrigo's career took off, Nigro used the cachet to sign Chappell to his own label and they wrote her album together, discarding the self-seriousness of her teenage material and diving headfirst into hedonism.

From BBC

Zandra Rhodes tells the BBC that she's channelling "the 70s hedonism that people are nostalgic for right now".

From BBC