Pleasurable
What it means
Producing enjoyment or satisfying sensory or emotional pleasure.
Reach for it when describing an experience valued chiefly because it feels good
A slow swim made the final afternoon both restful and pleasurable.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
|
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when accessible language should describe a positive experience
Careful Enjoyable is broader and can include demanding activities valued for challenge.
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everyday
Fits when the positive feeling is mild
Careful Pleasant is weaker and may describe manner or surroundings rather than felt pleasure.
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warm
Fits when the experience brings lively or charming pleasure
Careful It overstates quiet bodily comfort or mild satisfaction.
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warm
Fits when value or growth outweighs immediate comfort
Careful A rewarding task may be tiring, painful, or not pleasurable at all.
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professional
Fits when pleasure comes from achievement or a need being met
Careful Gratification may follow hard work that was not itself pleasurable.
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formal
Fits when the experience suits one's preferences
Careful The restrained word lacks pleasurable's emphasis on felt enjoyment.
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literary
sensuous
Fits when rich sensory experience is deliberately emphasized
Careful It can imply eroticism and is unsuitable for many ordinary pleasures.
Opposites 3
- painful
- unpleasant
- joyless
Common phrases 3
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pleasurable experience
The warm pool made recovery a more pleasurable experience.
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deeply pleasurable
Hearing the restored instrument was deeply pleasurable for its maker.
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pleasurable activity
Reading outdoors became a pleasurable activity once the new shade trees matured.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated