pleasure
[noun]
Synonyms: happiness, amusement, bliss, delectation, delight, enjoyment, gladness, gratification, joy, satisfaction

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Antonyms: displeasure
Contrasted words: vexation, annoyance, anger, affliction, distress, sorrow, trouble
Related Words: bliss, felicity, happiness, kick, thrill

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English Thesaurus: fun, enjoyment, pleasure, good/great time, a blast, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

plea‧sure S2 W2 /ˈpleʒə $ -ər/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: pleasant ≠ unpleasant, pleased ≠ displeased, pleasing ≠ displeasing, pleasurable; adverb: pleasantly ≠ unpleasantly, pleasingly, pleasurably; noun: pleasantry, pleasure ≠ displeasure; verb: please ≠ displease]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: plaisir; ⇒ please²]

1. [uncountable] the feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction that you get from an experience ⇒ pleasant
with pleasure
She sipped her drink with obvious pleasure.
for pleasure
Are you taking the trip for business or pleasure?

2. [countable] an activity or experience that you enjoy very much ⇒ pleasant:
the simple pleasures of life
be a pleasure to read/work with/watch etc
Carol was a pleasure to work with.

3. (it’s) my pleasure spoken used when someone has thanked you for doing something and you want to say that you were glad to do it

4. [singular] spoken formal used to be polite when you are meeting someone, asking for something, agreeing to do something etc
have the pleasure of (doing) something
May I have the pleasure of seeing you again?
It’s been a pleasure to meet you.
It’ll be a pleasure/With pleasure (=used to respond to a request)
‘Give the kids a hug for me.’ ‘With pleasure.’

5. at your pleasure formal if you can do something at your pleasure, you can do it when you want to and in the way you want to

6. at His/Her Majesty’s pleasure British English law if someone is put in prison at His or Her Majesty’s pleasure, there is no fixed limit to the time they have to spend there

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pleasure
noun
I. enjoyment
ADJ. considerable, deep, enormous, great, intense It gives me enormous pleasure to welcome my next guest.
genuine, real | pure, sheer | quiet The audience nodded with quiet pleasure at her remark.
obvious | endless Children find endless pleasure in playing with water.
malicious, perverse, sadistic | vicarious He gained vicarious pleasure from watching people laughing and joking.
aesthetic, physical, sensual, sexual
VERB + PLEASURE bring (sb), give (sb), provide | derive, find, gain, get, take My grandfather got immense pleasure out of life until the end.
PREP. for ~ Some people read for pleasure, and others read to study.
with ~ His eyes lit up with pleasure.
~ at He beamed with pleasure at seeing her.
~ from She was deriving a perverse pleasure from his discomfort.
~ in They took great pleasure in each other's company.
PHRASES business and pleasure I often meet useful people at parties, so I combine business with pleasure.
have the pleasure of sth May I have the pleasure of the next dance?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pleasure
II. sth that makes you happy
ADJ. great | doubtful, dubious the dubious pleasure of growing up in the public eye
little, simple one of life's little pleasures
fleeting, momentary, temporary
VERB + PLEASURE have (formal) I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you again.
enjoy | forego
PLEASURE + NOUN boat, craft
PHRASES the pleasures of life She enjoys the simple pleasures of life.
the pleasures of the flesh Priests promise to forego the pleasures of the flesh.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pleasure

take pleasure in (doing) something
He takes great pleasure in boasting about his big salary.
get pleasure from/out of something
Young children get a lot of pleasure from dressing up.
find pleasure in (doing) something
I find great pleasure in reading.
give (somebody) pleasure
Over the years, painting has given me a lot of pleasure.
bring pleasure to somebody (=give someone pleasure)
His singing has brought pleasure to millions.
derive pleasure from something formal (=get pleasure from it)
I derive great pleasure from playing chess.
great/enormous/immense pleasure
Steinbeck’s books have brought enormous pleasure to many people.
sheer/pure pleasure
He studied ancient languages for the sheer pleasure of learning.
genuine/real pleasure
She smiled with genuine pleasure.
perverse pleasure (=unreasonable, surprising, or bad)
Some people derive perverse pleasure from the suffering of others.
a source of pleasure
Her garden was a constant source of pleasure.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pleasure
noun
1.
BAD: As mayor of this town, it gives me a great pleasure to welcome you.
GOOD: As mayor of this town, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you.

Usage Note:
it gives sb great pleasure to do sth (WITHOUT a ): 'It gives me great pleasure to introduce today's guest speaker.'
Compare: 'It is a great pleasure for me to introduce ...'

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2.
BAD: A lot of people work for their pleasure, not because of financial obligations.
GOOD: A lot of people work for pleasure, not because of financial obligations.

Usage Note:
do sth for pleasure (WITHOUT his/our/their etc ): 'She used to be in the national team but now she swims just for pleasure.'

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3.
BAD: It's the first time that I've had the pleasure to meet her.
GOOD: It's the first time that I've had the pleasure of meeting her.

Usage Note:
be pleased to do sth BUT have the pleasure of doing sth : 'In Java I had the pleasure of attending a traditional wedding ceremony.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

fun noun [uncountable] especially spoken an experience or activity that is very enjoyable and exciting:
The course was fun.
Have you ever been windsurfing? It’s really good fun.
I just want to relax and have some fun.
It’ll be fun seeing all my old friends again.
Running around a freezing hockey field isn’t my idea of fun.
enjoyment noun [uncountable] the feeling you get when you enjoy doing something:
I get a lot of enjoyment out of working with young children.
pleasure noun [countable] an experience or activity that makes you feel happy and satisfied:
The game was a pleasure to watch.
One of her greatest pleasures was walking in the mountains.
Ted enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: his family, his home, and his garden.
good/great time noun [countable] especially spoken a time when you enjoyed yourself:
The kids all had a great time.
I remember the good times in Japan.
Were the 1960s really such great times?
a blast informal a very enjoyable experience – a very informal use:
The trip was a blast!
entertainment noun [uncountable] things such as performances and films which are intended to be enjoyable:
Three musicians provided the entertainment.
What do you do for entertainment around here?
They hired two dancers for entertainment.
relaxation noun [uncountable] a way of resting and enjoying yourself:
I play the piano for relaxation.
Her work left little time for relaxation.
leisure noun [uncountable] the time when you are not working, when you can enjoy yourself – used especially in compounds:
leisure activities
the leisure industry
People have more leisure time.
recreation noun [uncountable and countable] formal activities that you do to enjoy yourself:
recreation facilities
The park is not just a place for recreation.
nice especially spoken pleasant or enjoyable:
Did you have a nice day?
It was nice to be back home again.
lovely especially British English informal very nice:
We had a lovely time at the beach.
The hotel was lovely.
enjoyable giving you pleasure:
We had a very enjoyable evening.
wonderful very enjoyable:
It was a wonderful concert.
The food was wonderful.
great (also brilliant British English) informal very enjoyable:
‘How was the party?’ ‘It was great!’
We all had a brilliant time.
charming used about something that seems pleasant and has a lot of qualities that make you like it:
a charming little village in the Italian countryside
I thought the restaurant was rather charming.
delightful formal very pleasant or enjoyable:
There are many delightful walks in the area.
a delightful evening
pleasurable formal a pleasurable experience or feeling is one that you enjoy:
Shopping in the old city can be a pleasurable experience.
a pleasurable feeling of relief

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

happiness the feeling of being happy:
Happiness is more important than money.
I could see the happiness in her eyes.
pleasure the feeling you have when you enjoy doing something, or when something happens that you enjoy:
Are you taking the trip for business or pleasure?
His music has given pleasure to a great many people over the years.
cheerfulness happy feelings, which show in your expression, your voice, and your behaviour:
'Morning, everybody!' she said with a loud cheerfulness.
His normal cheerfulness seemed to have returned.
satisfaction the feeling you have when you have done something well, or when something is as good as it should be:
She stood back and looked at her work with satisfaction.
He gets a lot of satisfaction from helping young people in his coaching job.
contentment a quietly happy and satisfied feeling:
Joey sighed with contentment, snuggling down in his warm bed.
joy especially written a feeling of great happiness:
The sisters hugged and cried tears of joy.
It was a day of great joy for the whole town.
Most people would be jumping with joy.
delight the feeling you have when you are very pleased and excited because something good has happened:
They watched with delight as their new son started walking.
To her delight, she discovered the perfect wedding present.
bliss a feeling of very great happiness and great pleasure – used when something has a great effect on your senses:
Lying in the warm sun and listening to the sea felt like sheer bliss (=complete bliss).
Her idea of bliss is to be curled up on the sofa watching a romantic comedy with a big bowl of popcorn.
The happy couple looked a picture of domestic bliss.
elation written a feeling of great happiness and excitement, especially because you have achieved something or something good has happened to you:
As they reached the top, the climbers experienced a moment of elation.
Her mood suddenly changed from tears and misery to a feeling of elation.
euphoria an extremely strong feeling of happiness and excitement, especially because you have achieved something, or because of the effects of a drug:
The euphoria that new parents feel quickly changes to exhaustion.
The euphoria of Ireland’s amazing victory over England last Sunday has died away.
The drug produces a feeling of euphoria.
ecstasy an extremely strong feeling of happiness and pleasure, especially sexual pleasure:
It was a moment of sheer ecstacy (=complete ecstacy).
the ecstasy of their love-making

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

pleasure the feeling you have when you are doing something you enjoy or when something very nice has happened to you:
Most craftsmen get a lot of pleasure out of making things.
His music has brought pleasure to people all over the world.
happiness the feeling you have when you are happy:
Happiness is more important than money.
Pauline was willing to do anything for her children’s happiness.
I doubt she’ll find happiness with Gary.
joy especially written a deep feeling of great happiness, because something good has happened:
It’s hard to describe the joy we felt, seeing each other again after so many years.
They danced with joy when they heard the news.
delight great happiness and excitement, because something good that has happened:
To the audience’s delight, she agreed to play another song.
Imagine my delight when I found out that the house was for sale.
contentment a quietly happy and satisfied feeling, especially because you are happy with your work, your life etc:
He moved to the country and found contentment for the first time in his life.
She settled back in her chair and sighed with contentment.
euphoria /juːˈfɔːria $ jʊ-/ an extremely strong feeling of happiness and excitement that continues for a short time:
The whole country experienced a period of euphoria after the war ended.
the euphoria that parents feel after the birth of a child
elation /ɪˈleɪʃən/ formal a strong feeling of happiness and excitement, especially because you have achieved something:
After she had made her first landing, she experienced a great sense of elation.
The troops’ sense of elation at the victory was not to last.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲