contentment

Englisch

Etymology

From Middle French contentement. By surface analysis, content +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɛntmənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Nomen

contentment (usually uncountable, plural contentments)

1. The state or degree of being contented or satisfied.
   • 1620, Giovanni Bocaccio, translated by John Florio, The Decameron, Containing an Hundred Pleaſant Nouels: Wittily Diſcourſed, Betweene Seuen Honourable Ladies, and Three Noble Gentlemen‎^[1], Isaac Iaggard, Nouell 8, The Eighth Day:

     […] purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee being the ſtronger perſwader, and ſhe (belike) too credulous in beleeuing or elſe ouer-feeble in reſiſting, from priuate imparlance, they fell to action; and continued their cloſe fight a long while together, vnſeene and vvithout ſuſpition, no doubt to their equall ioy and contentment.

   • 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:

     Then they got out their boat from the boat-house, sculled down the river home, and at a very late hour sat down to supper in their own cosy riverside parlour, to the Rat's great joy and contentment.

2. happiness in one's situation; satisfaction
3. The neurophysiological experience of satisfaction and being at ease in one's situation, body, and/or mind.

Antonyms

• discontent, discontentment, dissatisfaction

Translations

state or degree of being contented

• Arabic: رِضَا (ar) (riḍā)
• Bulgarian: задоволство (bg) n (zadovolstvo)
• Esperanto: kontento
• French: contentement (fr) m
• German: Zufriedenheit (de), Genügsamkeit (de)
• Greek: ικανοποίηση (el) f (ikanopoíisi)
• Hungarian: elégedettség (hu), megelégedés (hu), megelégedettség (hu)
• Irish: sástacht f, suáilceas m
• Maori: uruhautanga
• Polish: zadowolenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: contente (pt), satisfeito (pt), realizado (pt)
• Romanian: satisfacție (ro) f, mulțumire (ro) f
• Russian: удовлетворённость (ru) f (udovletvorjónnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: suaimhneas m
• Serbo-Croatian: zadovoljstvo (sh)
• Spanish: contentamiento (es) m, satisfacción (es) f
• Ukrainian: задово́лення n (zadovólennja), задово́леність f (zadovólenistʹ)

Further reading

• “contentment”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “contentment”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.