Definitions for pleasure
ˈplɛʒ ərplea·sure

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pleasure, pleasancenoun

   a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

   "he was tingling with pleasure"

2. joy, delight, pleasurenoun

   something or someone that provides a source of happiness

   "a joy to behold"; "the pleasure of his company"; "the new car is a delight"

3. pleasurenoun

   a formal expression

   "he serves at the pleasure of the President"

4. pleasurenoun

   an activity that affords enjoyment

   "he puts duty before pleasure"

5. pleasurenoun

   sexual gratification

   "he took his pleasure of her"

Wiktionary(4.40 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pleasurenoun

   a state of being pleased

2. pleasurenoun

   a person, thing or action that causes enjoyment

3. pleasurenoun

   one's preference

   What is your pleasure, coffee or tea?

4. pleasurenoun

   the will or desire of someone or some agency in power

5. pleasureverb

   to give pleasure (especially sexual pleasure) to

   Johnny pleasured Jackie orally last night.

Webster Dictionary(2.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Pleasurenoun

   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

2. Pleasurenoun

   amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to labor, service, duty, self-denial, etc

3. Pleasurenoun

   what the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose

4. Pleasurenoun

   that which pleases; a favor; a gratification

5. Pleasureverb

   to give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify

6. Pleasureverb

   to take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring

Freebase(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Pleasure

   Pleasure describes the broad class of mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or worth seeking. It includes more specific mental states such as happiness, entertainment, enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria. In psychology, the pleasure principle describes pleasure as a positive feedback mechanism, motivating the organism to recreate in the future the situation which it has just found pleasurable. According to this theory, organisms are similarly motivated to avoid situations that have caused pain in the past. The experience of pleasure is subjective and different individuals will experience different kinds and amounts of pleasure in the same situation. Many pleasurable experiences are associated with satisfying basic biological drives, such as eating, exercise, sex or defecation. Other pleasurable experiences are associated with social experiences and social drives, such as the experiences of accomplishment, recognition, and service. The appreciation of cultural artifacts and activities such as art, music, and literature is often pleasurable. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying pleasure. One of the key discoveries was made by Kent C. Berridge who has shown that pleasure is not a unitary experience. Rather, pleasure consists of multiple brain processes including liking, wanting and learning subserved by distinct yet partially overlapping brain networks. In particular, this research has been helped by the use of objective pleasure-elicited reactions in humans and other animals such as the behavioral ‘liking’/‘disliking’ facial expressions to tastes that are homologous between humans and many other mammals.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Pleasure

   Sensation of enjoyment or gratification.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pleasure

   An activity that creates joy, unity and love.

   The simple pleasure of life is being loved for who you are.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 23, 2020  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pleasure

   Song lyrics by pleasure -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by pleasure on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Activity
   • Choice
   • Feeling
   • Positive Stimulus
   • Sexual Activity

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1990

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2646

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Nouns Frequency: #793

How to pronounce pleasure?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pleasure in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pleasure in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pleasure in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of pleasure in a Sentence

1. Ayn Rand:

   What is a demanding pleasure that demands the use of ones mind! Not in the sense of problem solving, but in the sense of exercising discrimination, judgment, awareness.

2. Proverb:

   The greatest pleasure in life lies in doing that which people say we cannot do.

3. Juliette Binoche:

   I have had time to deal with me, i couldn't really deal with me for a long time, so I am blessed for that time. I have given Juliette Binoche great jobs, the pleasure of working with different people and feeling different energies, I feel incredibly fortunate.

4. Vern Unsworth:

   It's taken a bit of the pleasure out of what's happened, what we've achieved, for me anyway, it's very much upset my daughter.

5. Sonny Bill Williams:

   I never dreamed that I'd play in the black jersey for ten years playing alongside some of the legends of the game, and I'm grateful for the support of so many people in helping me grow as a footy player over that time, finally, to the players I've been privileged enough to play with. I've enjoyed every moment being with the brothers and that will be the biggest thing I will miss : the camaraderie and fun with my fellow players and being privileged to suit up with them and go out and do what we love. It's been a pleasure.

Images & Illustrations of pleasure

Popularity rank by frequency of use