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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