Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hedonism

/ˈhiːdənɪzəm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.59 in modern English

Syllables: he-don-ism
IPA: /ˈhiːdənɪzəm/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The philosophical belief that prioritizes happiness, particularly sensual pleasure as the highest good in life.

Uncountable

noun

A general devotion to the pursuit of pleasure.

Countable

Example Sentences

"It began with his shrugging off of both family and faith and taking the Amtrak Vermonter out of Penn Station to major in minor hedonism and minor in the major modernists at a hippie college in the great Jewless north."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂d-der. Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English hedonism From Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ, “pleasure”) + English -ism. First attested in 1856.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhiːdənɪzəm/
British English: /ˈhɛdənɪzəm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hedonisms (plural)

Derived Forms

antihedonism

Phrases

psychological hedonism

Frequently Paired Words

hedonic hedonics hedonist hedonistic hedonistically debauchery

Synonyms

Cyrenaicism

Antonyms

asceticism

Questions

How do you pronounce hedonism?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhiːdənɪzəm/.
What does hedonism mean?: The philosophical belief that prioritizes happiness, particularly sensual pleasure as the highest good in life.
Where does hedonism come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂d-der. Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English hedonism From Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ, “pleasure”) + English -ism. First attested in 1856.

How to pronounce hedonism

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hedonism”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhiːdənɪzəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hedonism”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hedonism” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.