Don't worry, be happy!
Source: tatoeba (1800)
Happy
/ˈhæp.i/
Synonyms for "happy" (319 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (64)
Adjective(6 words)
Strong matches (96)
composedcongruouscontentcontentedconvenientconvincingcorrectcrapulentcrapulousdancingdecentdecorousdelighteddesirabledizzydovetailingdrencheddrunkdrunkeneasy
Show 48 more words
easygoingecstaticeffectiveeffectualefficaciousefficientelatedelevatedenchantedeupepticeuphoricexaltedexhilaratedexhilaratingexpedientexuberantexultantfairfar gonefar-gonefavorablefavoringfeasiblefelicitousfitfittedfittenfittingflushedflushed with joyflusteredfortuitousfortunatefoufructuousfullfull of promisegalagaygearedgenialgenteelgiddygladgladsomegleefulgloriousglowing
Adjective(20 words)
Noun(1 words)
content of
Verb(1 words)
Related words (159)
goldengoodgratifiedhighhopefulin good spiritsin high spiritsin liquorin seventh heavenincidentalinebriateinebriatedinebriousinspiredintoxicatedirrepressiblejauntyjollyjoyfuljoyous
Show 99 more words
jubilantjustjust rightlaughingleapinglightlight-heartedlightheartedlikelyluckymaudlinmeetmellowmerrymeshingmuddlednappyniceof good cheerof good comfortof good omenof happy portentof promiseon cloud nineon the buttonopportuneoptimisticoverjoyedpatpleasantpleasedpleased as punchpoliticprofitablepromisingproperpropitiousprosperousprovidentialpurringqualifiedradiantraptreadyrecommendablereconciledreelingrelevantresignedriantrightriperollickingrosysanguinesanguineoussans soucisatisfiedseasonableseemlyshikkersingingsmilingsmirkingsoddensortablesottedsparklingstarry eyedstarry-eyedsuitablesuitedsuitingsunnytailoredtellingthrice happythrilledtickled pinktiddlytimelytipsyto be desiredto the pointto the purposeuncomplainingunder the influenceunrepiningurbaneusefulwellwell-chosenwell-expressedwell-putwell-timedwinsomewisewithout careworthwhile
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: felicitous, glad, a propos, accepting, accidental.
- cheerful: 'Cheerful' emphasizes outward expression, a cheerful person shows their happiness to others through their demeanor.
- Sentence evidence is available for happy, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "happy".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "happy"
Keep "happy" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "happy" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "happy", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "happy" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- cheerful - 'Cheerful' emphasizes outward expression, a cheerful person shows their happiness to others through their demeanor.
- content - 'Content' is quieter than 'happy', it suggests peaceful satisfaction rather than active pleasure.
- elated - 'Elated' is stronger, it suggests being lifted up with excitement. Reserve it for genuine highs, not routine satisfaction.
- glad - 'Glad' is milder and usually situational, you're glad about something specific, while 'happy' describes a broader emotional state.
- joyful - 'Joyful' implies deeper, more intense happiness with a literary or spiritual quality. Use it for peak moments, not everyday contentment.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
13 entriesaffirmative exclamationappropriate phrasingapt phrasingauspiciouscheerfulcontentedelatedexclamationexclamatory responsefitting wordingfortunatejoy exclamationlucky
Collocations
12 entriesInflections
2 entriesDerivations
6 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
Translations
92 translations across 56 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- gelukkig adj (fortunate, lucky)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- εὐτυχής adj (fortunate, lucky)
Arabic
1 entries- مَحْظُوظ adj (fortunate, lucky)
Azerbaijani
3 entries- bəxti gətirən adj (fortunate, lucky)
- bəxtli adj (fortunate, lucky)
- bəxtəvər adj (fortunate, lucky)
Bulgarian
1 entries- удачен adj (fortunate, lucky)
Catalan
2 entries- afortunat adj (fortunate, lucky)
- feliç adj (fortunate, lucky)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- بەختەوەر adj (fortunate, lucky)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 幸運的 /幸运的 adj (fortunate, lucky)
Czech
1 entries- šťastný adj (fortunate, lucky)
Danish
1 entries- heldig adj (fortunate, lucky)
Dutch
1 entries- gelukkig adj (fortunate, lucky)
Esperanto
1 entries- feliĉa adj (fortunate, lucky)
Estonian
1 entries- õnnelik adj (fortunate, lucky)
Finnish
3 entries- hyvä adj (fortunate, lucky)
- onnekas adj (fortunate, lucky)
- onnellinen adj (fortunate, lucky)
French
2 entries- chanceux adj (fortunate, lucky)
- heureux adj (fortunate, lucky)
Galician
1 entries- afortunado adj (fortunate, lucky)
German
1 entries- glücklich adj (fortunate, lucky)
Greek
2 entries- ευτυχής adj (fortunate, lucky)
- ευτυχισμένος adj (fortunate, lucky)
Hindi
2 entries- ख़ुश adj (fortunate, lucky)
- प्रसन्न adj (fortunate, lucky)
Hungarian
1 entries- szerencsés adj (fortunate, lucky)
Icelandic
1 entries- heppilegur adj (fortunate, lucky)
Ido
1 entries- fortunoza adj (fortunate, lucky)
Indonesian
2 entries- mujur adj (fortunate, lucky)
- untung adj (fortunate, lucky)
Ingrian
1 entries- onnekas adj (fortunate, lucky)
Irish
3 entries- sona adj (fortunate, lucky)
- sonasach adj (fortunate, lucky)
- séanmhar adj (fortunate, lucky)
Italian
1 entries- fortunato adj (fortunate, lucky)
Japanese
2 entries- 幸運な adj (fortunate, lucky)
- 運のよい adj (fortunate, lucky)
Khmer
1 entries- សប្បាយ adj (fortunate, lucky)
Korean
1 entries- 운좋은 adj (fortunate, lucky)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- ырыстуу adj (fortunate, lucky)
Ladino
4 entries- afortunado adj (fortunate, lucky)
- felis adj (fortunate, lucky)
- mazalozo adj (fortunate, lucky)
- mazaludo adj (fortunate, lucky)
Latin
1 entries- felix adj (fortunate, lucky)
Lithuanian
1 entries- laimingas adj (fortunate, lucky)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- glécklech adj (fortunate, lucky)
Mizo
1 entries- vannei adj (fortunate, lucky)
Norman
1 entries- heûtheux adj (fortunate, lucky)
Norwegian
1 entries- heldig adj (fortunate, lucky)
Occitan
4 entries- astruc adj (fortunate, lucky)
- aürós adj (fortunate, lucky)
- benastrat adj (fortunate, lucky)
- benastruc adj (fortunate, lucky)
Old English
1 entries- ġesǣliġ adj (fortunate, lucky)
Old Spanish
1 entries- felix adj (fortunate, lucky)
Old Turkic
1 entries- 𐰴𐰆𐱃𐰞𐰆𐰍 adj (fortunate, lucky)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- قوتلو adj (fortunate, lucky)
Polish
1 entries- szczęśliwy adj (fortunate, lucky)
Portuguese
1 entries- feliz adj (fortunate, lucky)
Romanian
1 entries- norocos adj (fortunate, lucky)
Russian
2 entries- счастли́вый adj (fortunate, lucky)
- уда́чный adj (fortunate, lucky)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- sretan adj (fortunate, lucky)
- srećan adj (fortunate, lucky)
- сретан adj (fortunate, lucky)
- срећан adj (fortunate, lucky)
Slovak
1 entries- šťastný adj (fortunate, lucky)
Slovene
1 entries- srečen adj (fortunate, lucky)
Southern Altai
2 entries- урматту adj (fortunate, lucky)
- ырысту adj (fortunate, lucky)
Spanish
2 entries- afortunado adj (fortunate, lucky)
- feliz adj (fortunate, lucky)
Swedish
2 entries- gynnsam adj (fortunate, lucky)
- lyckad adj (fortunate, lucky)
Tagalog
2 entries- masaya adj (fortunate, lucky)
- suwerte adj (fortunate, lucky)
Telugu
1 entries- అదృవ్ష్టవంతమైన adj (fortunate, lucky)
Turkish
2 entries- kutlu adj (fortunate, lucky)
- şanslı adj (fortunate, lucky)
Vietnamese
4 entries- hạnh phúc adj (fortunate, lucky)
- may adj (fortunate, lucky)
- may mắn adj (fortunate, lucky)
- sung sướng adj (fortunate, lucky)
Sample sentences
48 total sentences available.
If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time.
Source: tatoeba (2268)
You look happy today.
Source: tatoeba (16127)
Are you happy?
Source: tatoeba (16164)
Showing 4 of 48 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "happy"?
Closest matches include felicitous, glad, a propos, accepting, accidental.
How is "cheerful" different from "happy"?
'Cheerful' emphasizes outward expression, a cheerful person shows their happiness to others through their demeanor.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "happy"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.