n. The state or quality of being happy.n. Any state of being, having considerable permanence, in which pleasure decidedly predominates over pain.n. Fortuitous aptness or fitness; an unstudied grace or beauty; felicitousness.n. Synonyms Happiness, Felicity, Blessedness, Bliss; well-being, prosperity, welfare, enjoyment, comfort, security. Happiness, the generic word, is expressive of nearly every general state of pleasure. It is so far from its derivation that it is often expressive of that state of mind that triumphs over circumstances, finding material for contentment or even joy in that which might naturally produce deep unhappiness. Felicity is primarily a matter of favorable circumstances, which may be mere exemption from disaster or disagreeable experiences, or may be of a higher type, as domestic felicity depends not merely upon the comfort of the home, nor upon freedom from anxiety, but especially upon a high degree of mutual love. Blessedness is a state of the most refined happiness, arising from the purest and warmest benevolent and religious feeling. The type of its meaning is furnished by the use of the word blessed in the beatitudes, Mat. v. 3–11. Bliss is consummate happiness. See animation, mirth, hilarity, gladness.