Euphoria

How to spell euphoria

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce euphoria

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does euphoria mean?

1. nounA feeling of intense excitement, elation, or wellbeing.

Euphoria in a sentence

• A wave of euphoria swept the office when the contract was finally signed.

• Crossing the finish line filled her with sudden euphoria.

Where does euphoria come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word comes from the Greek euphoria, meaning a state of being borne along well or carried easily, built from eu, meaning 'good' or 'well', and pherein, the verb 'to bear' or 'to carry'. In its earliest English use during the 1600s and 1700s it was a medical term describing a patient's sense of comfort and wellbeing, especially the relief felt after taking a remedy. Over time it broadened from that clinical sense into the modern meaning of intense, overwhelming happiness. The pherein root is unexpectedly productive in English: it also sits inside 'metaphor' (something carried across) and 'periphery' (carried around the edge). The 'eu' prefix it shares with 'euphemism' and 'eulogy' is the same one meaning 'good', which is a handy reminder that the word starts eu- rather than the more phonetic 'you-'.

How the word is built

• eu- (good, well)
• phor (from pherein: to bear, to carry)
• -ia (noun suffix denoting a state or condition)