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Eudaimonia

n.hopeful, thoughtfulformal

What it means

Deep well-being created through meaningful activity and human flourishing.

Reach for it when discussing an Aristotelian ideal of living and functioning well

The seminar explored how friendship and purpose contribute to eudaimonia.

Choose between these

6
  • playful

    the good life

    when accessible philosophical shorthand is welcome

    not when The phrase can be misread as comfort, wealth, or luxury.

  • everyday

    well-being

    when health and life quality should be named broadly

    not when Well-being can be momentary, subjective, or comfortable without virtuous activity.

  • warm

    fulfillment

    when meaningful satisfaction from realizing potential matters

    not when Fulfillment is subjective and may concern one goal rather than a whole life.

  • professional

    flourishing

    when broad healthy functioning is central

    not when Flourishing is more accessible and does not necessarily carry the philosophical theory.

  • professional

    human thriving

    when active development rather than pleasure is emphasized

    not when Thriving is contemporary wording and may lack eudaimonia's ethical dimension.

  • literary

    felicity

    when elevated language for happiness or blessedness fits

    not when Felicity centers happiness and can sound archaic.

Said against

3
  • languishing
  • misery
  • dysfunction

It naturally appears in

3
  • pursuit of eudaimonia

    The course linked the pursuit of eudaimonia to civic responsibility.

  • human eudaimonia

    Aristotle's account of human eudaimonia extends beyond pleasant feeling.

  • conditions for eudaimonia

    Secure friendship may be one of the conditions for eudaimonia.

Where this comes from

Eudaimonia is a philosophical concept, not a synonym for a passing happy mood.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.