n.
- Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
- Philosophy. The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good.
- Psychology. The doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain.
[Greek hēdonē, pleasure + -ISM.]
hedonist he'don·ist n.hedonistic he'don·is'tic adj.
hedonistically he'don·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
