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Blissful vs Blessed - What's the difference?

blissful | blessed |

As adjectives the difference between blissful and blessed

is that blissful is extremely happy; full of joy; experiencing, indicating, causing, or characterized by bliss while blessed is having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing.

As a verb blessed is

past tense of bless.

As a proper noun Blessed is

{{surname|lang=en}.

blissful

English

Alternative forms

* blissfull (archaic)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Extremely happy; full of joy; experiencing, indicating, causing, or characterized by bliss.
  • * 1738 , , "London: A Poem in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal", lines 25-26,
    • In pleasing dreams the blissful age renew,
    And call Britannia's glories back to view;
  • * 1868 , , Little Women , ch. 27,
    • She ... led a blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat safe and happy in an imaginary world.
  • * 1983 , James Hijiya, "American Gravestones and Attitudes toward Death: A Brief History," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society , vol. 127, no. 5., page 349,
    • New England carvers between the 1720s and the 1750s transformed, step by step, the winged skull into the winged face, adding flesh to bare bone and turning the toothy grin of death into the blissful smile of a saved soul.
  • (obsolete) Blessed; glorified.
  • * c1387 , , "The Prioress' Tale," in The Canterbury Tales ,
    • Thus had this widow her little son y-taught
    Our blissful Lady, Christe's mother dear,
    To worship aye

    Usage notes

    "Blissful" occasionally has the extra connotation that a person is extremely happy because he or she fails to recognize or accept certain adversities or other harsh realities.

    Synonyms

    * ecstatic * elated * euphoric * joyful * orgasmic * overjoyed * rapturous * on cloud nine * See also

    References

    * * * * Oxford English Dictionary , second edition (1989) * Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)

    blessed

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (poetic), blest (archaic)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having divine aid, or protection, or other blessing.
  • * 1611 , King James Bible , Matthew 5:5
    • Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
  • In Catholicism, a title indicating the beatification of a person, thus allowing public veneration of those who have lived in sanctity or died as martyrs.
  • Held in veneration; revered.
  • Worthy of worship; holy.
  • (informal) An intensifier; damned.
    • Not one blessed person offered to help me out.

    Synonyms

    * (revered) revered, venerated, worship(p)ed * (holy) hallowed, holy, sacred

    Antonyms

    * condemned, cursed, damned * (revered) contemned, despised, scorned * (holy) profane, unhallowed, unholy

    Derived terms

    * blessed event

    Verb

    (head)
  • (bless)

    • Anagrams

    * English heteronyms