What does pleasure mean?
Definitions for pleasure
ˈplɛʒ ərplea·sure
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pleasure.
Princeton's WordNet
pleasure, pleasancenoun
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
"he was tingling with pleasure"
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"
pleasurenoun
a formal expression
"he serves at the pleasure of the President"
pleasurenoun
an activity that affords enjoyment
"he puts duty before pleasure"
pleasurenoun
sexual gratification
"he took his pleasure of her"
Wiktionary
pleasurenoun
a state of being pleased
pleasurenoun
a person, thing or action that causes enjoyment
pleasurenoun
one's preference
What is your pleasure, coffee or tea?
pleasurenoun
the will or desire of someone or some agency in power
pleasureverb
to give pleasure (especially sexual pleasure) to
Johnny pleasured Jackie orally last night.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
PLEASUREnoun
Etymology: plaisir, French.
Pleasure, in general, is the consequent apprehension of a suitable object, suitably applied to a rightly disposed faculty. Robert South, Sermons.
A cause of men’s taking pleasure in the sins of others, is, that poor spiritedness that accompanies guilt. Robert South, Sermons.
In hollow caves sweet echo quiet lies;
Her name with pleasure once she taught the shore,
Now Daphne’s dead, and pleasure is no more. Alexander Pope.Convey your pleasures in a spacious plenty,
And yet seem cold. William Shakespeare.Behold yon dame does shake the head to hear of pleasure’s name. William Shakespeare, King Lear.
Not sunk in carnal pleasure. John Milton.
The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him. Psalms.
Use your pleasure; if your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter. William Shakespeare, Merch. of Venice.
He will do his pleasure on Babylon. Is. xlviii.
We ascribe not only effects depending on the natural period of time unto arbitrary calculations, and such as vary at pleasure, but confirm our tenets by the uncertain account of others. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. iv.
Half their fleet offends
His open side, and high above him shews;
Upon the rest at pleasure he descends,
And doubly harm’d, he double harm bestows. Dryden.Raise tempests at your pleasure. Dryden.
We can at pleasure move several parts of our bodies John Locke.
All the land in their dominions being acquired by conquest, was disposed by them according to their pleasure. Arbuthnot.
To Pleasureverb
To please; to gratify. This word, though supported by good authority, is, I think, inelegant.
Etymology: from the noun.
Things, thus set in order,
Shall further thy harvest, and pleasure thee best. Thomas Tusser.I count it one of my greatest afflictions, that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman. William Shakespeare.
If what pleases him, shall pleasure you,
Fight closer, or good faith you’ll catch a blow. William Shakespeare.When the way of pleasuring and displeasuring lieth by the favourite, it is impossible any should be overgreat. Francis Bacon.
Nothing is difficult to love; it will make a man cross his own inclinations to pleasure them whom he loves. John Tillotson.
ChatGPT
pleasure
Pleasure is a positive emotional state or feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment that is derived from the experience of gratifying or enjoyable activities, experiences, or stimuli. It is often associated with feelings of happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. Pleasure can vary greatly among individuals and may be triggered by various sources such as food, social interactions, hobbies, entertainment, or engaging in pleasurable physical sensations.
Webster Dictionary
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
Pleasurenoun
amusement; sport; diversion; self-indulgence; frivolous or dissipating enjoyment; hence, sensual gratification; -- opposed to labor, service, duty, self-denial, etc
Pleasurenoun
what the will dictates or prefers as gratifying or satisfying; hence, will; choice; wish; purpose
Pleasurenoun
that which pleases; a favor; a gratification
Pleasureverb
to give or afford pleasure to; to please; to gratify
Pleasureverb
to take pleasure; to seek pursue pleasure; as, to go pleasuring
Wikidata
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
Pleasure
Sensation of enjoyment or gratification.
Editors Contribution
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
pleasure
Song lyrics by pleasure -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by pleasure on the Lyrics.com website.
Pleasure
Leisure vs. Pleasure -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Leisure and Pleasure.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
PLEASURE
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pleasure is ranked #119508 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Pleasure surname appeared 145 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Pleasure.
70.3% or 102 total occurrences were Black.
20% or 29 total occurrences were White.
5.5% or 8 total occurrences were of two or more races.
4.1% or 6 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1990
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2646
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pleasure' in Nouns Frequency: #793
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- 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Anagrams for pleasure »
serpulae
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of pleasure in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of pleasure in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of pleasure in a Sentence
Love of money is the disease which renders us most pitiful and grovelling, and love of pleasure is that which renders us most despicable.
We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and the sensation of Time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose.
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.
The pleasure of love is in loving.
I do not believe in doing for pleasure things I do not like to do.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for pleasure
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- متعةArabic
- həzzAzerbaijani
- наслада, удоволствиеBulgarian
- নন্দBengali
- uspokojit, potěšení, slast, rozkošCzech
- mwyniant, mwynhâd, boddhâd, hyfrydwch, bodd, pleserWelsh
- Spaß, Freude, VergnügenGerman
- ευχαρίστηση, τέρψη, απόλαυση, ηδονήGreek
- plezuroEsperanto
- placerSpanish
- lõbuEstonian
- کیفPersian
- huviFinnish
- désir, plaisirFrench
- pléisiúrIrish
- tlachdScottish Gaelic
- ענגHebrew
- आनन्द, अभिरामHindi
- gyönyörűségHungarian
- հաճույքArmenian
- placerInterlingua
- kesenanganIndonesian
- preferenza, piacimento, scelta, goduria, piacereItalian
- הנאהHebrew
- 喜びJapanese
- სიამოვნებაGeorgian
- 쾌락Korean
- خۆشیKurdish
- iucunditas, oblectatio, delectamentum, dulcedo, gaudium, voluptatem, delectatio, voluptasLatin
- PlëséierLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- malonumasLithuanian
- prieksLatvian
- rēhiaMāori
- баяр жаргалMongolian
- welbehagen, plezier, genoegenDutch
- fornøyelseNorwegian
- przyjemnośćPolish
- prazerPortuguese
- plăcereRomanian
- воля, радость, радовать, наслаждение, склонность, удовлетворение, удовлетворять, развлечение, расположенность, желание, доставлять удовольствие, удовольствиеRussian
- आनन्दSanskrit
- preferèncija, zadovòljstvo, ужи́так, задово̀љство, užítakSerbo-Croatian
- potešenieSlovak
- kënaqësiAlbanian
- behagSwedish
- anasaSwahili
- ความปิติยินดีThai
- kaaliwanTagalog
- zevkTurkish
- задоволенняUkrainian
- niềm vui thíchVietnamese
- פֿאַרגעניגןYiddish
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