hedon

H4E1D2O1N1
/ˈhɛdɒn//ˈhiːdən/

noun

A unit of pleasure used to theoretically weigh people's happiness.

Similar
utileutil
Opposite
dolor
OriginAncient Greek ἡδονή →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

hedon1

nounhedon (plural hedons)

plural hedons

  1. economicsA unit of pleasure used to theoretically weigh people's happiness.

    Supposedly, utilitarians are able to add and subtract hedons (units of pleasure) and dolors (units of pain) without any signs of cognitive or affective distress[…]

    1986, Rosemarie Tong, Ethics in policy analysis, →ISBN

    Synonyms: utile, util

Hedon2

proper noun
  1. A town and civil parish with a town council in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref TA1828).

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA unit of pleasure used to theoretically weigh people's happiness.

Similar
utileutil
Opposite
dolor
Also see
utilutile

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἡδονή“pleasure”
  2. Englishhedon

Back-formation from hedonism, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ, “pleasure”). Doublet of Edoni.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

honed
Cite this entry
APA

hedon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedon

MLA

“hedon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedon. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hedon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedon.

Source: hedon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.