Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The state or feeling of being pleased or gratified.
- noun A source of enjoyment or delight.
- noun Amusement, diversion, or worldly enjoyment.
- noun Sensual gratification or indulgence.
- noun One's preference or wish.
- intransitive verb To give pleasure or enjoyment to; gratify.
- intransitive verb To take pleasure; delight.
- intransitive verb To go in search of pleasure or enjoyment.
- idiom (my pleasure) Used to acknowledge an expression of gratitude.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To give pleasure to; please; gratify.
- noun That character of a feeling by virtue of which it gratifies the sentient being that experiences it, so that there is an impulse to its continuance or renewal.
- noun Sensual gratification; indulgeuce of the appetites.
- noun That which pleases or gratifies the senses or the mind; that which is delightful or beautiful.
- noun A favor; gratification.
- noun Will; desire; preference, or whatever one chooses, desires, or wills: as, it is my pleasure to remain.
- noun Synonyms Joy, Delight, etc. (see
gladness ), satisfaction, comfort, solace. - noun Self-indulgence; luxury, sensuality, voluptuousness.
- noun Kindness.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure.
- transitive verb To give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify.
- noun The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish, or happiness produced by the expectation or the enjoyment of something good, delightful, or satisfying; -- opposed to
pain ,sorrow , etc. - noun Amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to
labor ,service ,duty ,self-denial , etc. - noun What the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose.
- noun That which pleases; a favor; a gratification.
- noun by arbitrary will or choice.
- noun to have enjoyment in.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun uncountable a
state of beingpleased - noun countable a
person ,thing oraction thatcauses enjoyment - noun uncountable one's
preference - noun formal (
uncountable ) thewill ordesire of someone or some agency inpower - interjection pleasure to meet you,
pleased to meet you - verb transitive to give pleasure (especially sexual pleasure) to
- verb intransitive, dated To take pleasure; to seek or pursue pleasure.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun something or someone that provides a source of happiness
- noun an activity that affords enjoyment
- noun a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
- noun sexual gratification
- noun a formal expression
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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If it is a claim about the common-sense pleasure concept, for example, then it is problematical to stipulate, as was done above, that ˜pleasure™ includes all positive experience.
Hedonism Moore, Andrew 2004
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Various objections might be made to motivational hedonism: that we are often motivated by things that do not in fact maximize our pleasure, such as motivation to step under a shower that one takes to be suitably warm but which is in fact scalding hot; that not every pleasure that our options for action make available to us motivates us; or that the very idea of maximum ˜pleasure over pain™ or
Hedonism Moore, Andrew 2004
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"Women" -- he said to me last night -- "are the only pleasure in life -- men and hunting bring content and happiness, work brings satisfaction, but women and their ways are the only _pleasure_."
Man and Maid Elinor Glyn 1903
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Sexual excitement is accompanied throughout by a sensation of pleasure, specifically known as _voluptuous pleasure_, the _voluptuous sensation_, or simply _voluptuousness_ (in Latin, _libido sexualis_).
The Sexual Life of the Child Albert Moll 1900
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You know as well as I do that to go to Brookroyd is always a pleasure to me, and that to one who has so little change, and so few friends as I have, it must be a _great pleasure_, but I am not at all times in the mood or circumstances to take my pleasure.
Charlotte Brontë and Her Circle Clement King Shorter 1891
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A QUAKER (says Hood) makes a pleasure of his business, and then, for relaxation, makes a _business_ of his _pleasure_.
The Jest Book The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings Mark Lemon 1839
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As I make use of the word _delight_ to express the sensation which accompanies the removal of pain or danger, so, when I speak of positive pleasure, I shall for the most part call it simply _pleasure_.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) Edmund Burke 1763
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The least interest could make him abandon his honor; the smallest pleasure could seduce him from his interest; the most frivolous caprice was sufficient to counterbalance his pleasure* [** missing period]
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part F. From Charles II. to James II. David Hume 1743
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Since in God there is no pleasure that is not good, what difference can there be between the _good pleasure_ and the _will_ of God?
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales Jean Pierre Camus 1618
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˜pleasure™ sometimes to refer to (a) a certain kind of mental state or sensation and at other times to refer to (b) non-mental items, such as actions, activities, and pursuits that do or can cause pleasurable mental states (cf. the way in which someone might refer to sexual activity as a bodily pleasure).
Mill's Moral and Political Philosophy Brink, David 2007
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Watching the kardashians is a guilty pleasure because it’s a bad show, it’s pretty low brow, you’re not going to get anything good from it, really it’s a waste of time, but some people like to watch it just as mindless entertainment. Another example of a guilty pleasure could be eating too much junk food, or scrolling Reddit too much.
Can someone please explain what a guilty pleasure is? Impressive_Web385 2025
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“A guilty pleasure is something that we enjoy, but we know we’re either not supposed to like, or that liking it says something negative about us,” said Sami Schalk, an assistant professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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These guilty pleasures are films that might objectively be boring, stupid, nonsensical, ridiculous, poorly made, not well known, etc. but there is something about them that appeals to us and makes them enjoyable to watch.
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