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hedonist

 - 3 dictionary results

he⋅don⋅ist

  [heed-n-ist]
–noun
1. a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.
–adjective
2. Also, he⋅don⋅is⋅tic. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a hedonist or hedonism.
Use hedonist in a Sentence
Origin:
1855–60; see hedonism, -ist

Related forms:
he⋅don⋅is⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To hedonist
he·don·ism   (hēd'n-ĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.

  2. Philosophy The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good.

  3. Psychology The doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain.


[Greek hēdonē, pleasure; see swād- in Indo-European roots + -ism.]
he'don·ist n., he'don·is'tic adj., he'don·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

hedonist 
1822, in reference to the Cyrenaic school of philosophy that deals with the ethics of pleasure, from Gk. hedonikos "pleasurable," from hedone "pleasure," related to hedys "sweet" (see sweet). Hedonistic is from 1866; earlier adj. form was hedonic (1656). A hedonist is properly the follower of any ethical system in which the highest good is some sort of pleasure. The Epicurian identifies this with the practice of virtue.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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