1
2
3
4
5
6

Try This Instead

For
Try This
a happy ending
a pleasant ending
a positive ending
a cheerful ending
a hopeful ending
a joyful ending
a happy birthday
a joyous birthday
a merry birthday
a joyful birthday
a great birthday
a special birthday
a happy marriage
a good marriage
a successful marriage
a great marriage
a wonderful marriage
a joyous marriage
happy memories
special memories
positive memories
pleasing memories
pleasant memories
cheerful memories
a happy face
a cheerful face
an elated face
a pleased face
a delighted face
an ecstatic face

Synonym Chooser

How is the word happy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of happy are fortunate, lucky, and providential. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," happy combines the implications of lucky and fortunate with stress on being blessed.

a series of happy accidents

Where would fortunate be a reasonable alternative to happy?

In some situations, the words fortunate and happy are roughly equivalent. However, fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

When might lucky be a better fit than happy?

The meanings of lucky and happy largely overlap; however, lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

When could providential be used to replace happy?

While in some cases nearly identical to happy, providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of happy Scottsdale also ranked among the happiest cities to live in two years running. Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 14 July 2025 There are four key stakeholder groups that college presidents must keep happy: students, faculty, donors, and the board of trustees. Matthew Scogin, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025 That’s why the happiest couples take a few minutes to unwind alone after the workday ends. Mark Travers, CNBC, 13 July 2025 Though Disneyland was well maintained and marketed as relentlessly happy, conditions in some neighborhoods close to the park were blighted. Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for happy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happy
Adjective
  • Cazorla playing another season for Oviedo will be hugely welcomed by everyone at his hometown club, while supporters at other stadiums around La Liga will also be delighted at seeing one of Spanish football’s most popular characters once again.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 9 July 2025
  • Among those delighted to see this behavior from Grok was Andrew Torba, CEO of Gab, an X alternative that is a hotbed for white supremacists and Nazis.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • The pitching was so good, the Phillies were fortunate to score at all and one run was unearned.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • Some people are that fortunate; my own Nana died, at a hundred and four, surrounded by family.
    Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Among the 71% who use an advisor, only a third are completely satisfied with their advisor’s performance in the last year, according to the Forbes Research 2025 High Net Worth Survey, which was fielded between April and May.
    Forbes Research, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Trump isn’t satisfied with some of the draft agreements on trade, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on ABC News Sunday.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 July 2025
Adjective
  • These guys were all stone cold losers who just got lucky, or almost lucky.
    Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
  • The lucky tickets were sold at the Five Star Smoke Shop in Hesperia, which is about an 80-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles, and a 7-Eleven store in Fremont, which is about a 40-mile drive southeast from San Francisco, lottery officials said.
    Don Sweeney July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • Moist soil is important; however, areas where moisture accumulates during the winter are not suitable as this will make the tubers rot.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 6 July 2025
  • Each piece has a sturdy coated iron frame that’s rust-resistant and suitable for year-round outdoor exposure, while the chairs are covered in a quick-drying breathable fabric that’s fade- and UV-resistant.
    Maggie Horton, People.com, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Football has become obsessed with globalisation, but the sport — as opposed to the business — is still fuelled by what happens at a local level.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 3 July 2025
  • Studios is out with Alicia Silverstone in erotic thriller Pretty Thing as a successful executive in a torrid affair with a younger man (Karl Glusman) who becomes obsessed with her.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 July 2025
Adjective
  • These ribbons can be steamed, boiled, or even served raw with an appropriate sauce.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 4 July 2025
  • When asked by the judge near the start of Wednesday’s hours-long hearing, attorneys for the parties could not reach an agreement on an appropriate value for the sanctions.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • One of the biggest shifts since the time of Rose is that far fewer Americans are worried about this potential problem.
    Harry Enten, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
  • Critics of Greene's bill are worried that the legislation could disproportionately benefit higher-income individuals, who naturally stand to make more profits from a home sale.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Happy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on happy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!