hedonism
noun
Donald Armstrong
Did you know?
The Modern Definition of Hedonism
When hedonism first appeared in English in the middle of the 19th century, it referred to the doctrines of certain schools of philosophy in ancient Greece (such as the Epicureans and Cyrenaics), who held that happiness or pleasure constituted the chief goal in life. As used today, the word frequently carries a judgmental tinge. If someone is described as living a life of hedonism, the implication is that he or she derives happiness from debauchery rather than, say, spending quality time with family or forming meaningful relationships at work. Hedonism comes from the Greek hēdonē (“pleasure”), which also provides the root of the word anhedonia (“a psychological condition characterized by inability to experience pleasure in normally pleasurable acts”).
Synonyms
Examples of hedonism in a Sentence
Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Blink Twice nods at a tangle of different contemporary ailments: lifestyle fetishism, wellness hedonism, our obscene fealty to stolid tech bros and their untrammeled wealth.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
The hedonism of a Grecian garden meets a delicate fig tree.
—Rose Dommu, Them, 11 Dec. 2024
The best thing to balance Taurus’ pleasure-seeking hedonism is a routine reminder to stay grounded — and is there anything more grounding than learning about plants?
—Fran Tirado, Them, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hedonism 
Dictionary Entries Near hedonism
Cite this Entry
“Hedonism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hedonism. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hedonism
noun
Share