feel-goodn.adj.
/ˈfiːlɡʊd/, U.S. /ˈfilˌɡʊd/ Originally U.S.
A. n.
1.
a. A person, thing, event, etc., that induces a feeling of well-being, confidence, or contentment.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > happiness > [noun] > euphoria or feeling of well-being > one who or that which induces
feel-goodist1977
feel-good1993
1849 E. Bennett Leni-Leoti viii. 39/1 The only feel-good I had that night, was hearin the infernal wolves tearin the meat off o' them.
1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 11 July e2/3 Boomer politicians..love fuzzy feelgoods.
2004 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 17 June (Features section) 2 Put together your own combo of juiced fruit and vege or choose from a menu of feelgoods.
2008 Times 1 Nov. (Body & Soul section) 5/2 Make-up and the smaller feel-goods are fine, necessary even, but..big labels are out.
b. As a mass noun: feelings of well-being, confidence, or contentment; spec. feelings of financial security and economic optimism prevailing in a nation (cf. feel-good factor n. at Compounds).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > happiness > [noun] > euphoria or feeling of well-being
euphoria1728
bien-être1849
feel-good1977
feel-goodism1977
1920 Boilermakers' & Iron Ship Builders' Jrnl. Sept. 614/1 Keep Sloan's Liniment handy to put the ‘feel good’ back into the system.
1977 N.Y. Times Mag. 15 May (Late City ed.) 12/2 The chief exponents of psychic feelgood tend to come from Asia, California and the psychological sciences, no one of which has an impressive record at making people feel good.
1987 Washington Post 31 Mar. (Final ed.) c2/2 The era of fitness and feelgood has left a clear imprint on the unrelenting euphoria of these dances.
1992 Financial Post (Canada) 30 Sept. i. 17 Without it, real recovery may be two years off. Even with electoral change in Washington, though, feelgood may take a year to seep north.
2001 Guardian 4 Apr. i. 24/2 The dreaded R word—recession—is back in use for the first time in almost 10 years and, to the dismay of ministers, feelgood turns into feelbad.
2. = Dr. Feelgood n.. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > healer > physician > [noun] > prescribing short-term palliatives
feel-good1972
Dr. Feelgood1973
1972 Newsweek 25 Dec. 29/3 The best way to guard against Feelgoods and charlatans is for the medical profession to keep its own house in order.
1991 P. Marshall Daughters i. vi. 100 But all right, I'll take your word for it. He's a Feel-good, the good doctor himself, although you'd never know by looking at him.
B. adj.
That induces or seeks to induce (often unwarranted or artificial) feelings of well-being, confidence, or contentment; characterized by such feelings.In quot. 1875 representing the speech of a non-native speaker of English.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > happiness > [adjective] > euphoric > inducing euphoria or feeling of well-being
feel-good1875
1875 A. Stone New Gospel of Health xxxvii. 489 Indian spirit move medium, medium move the feel-bad, and so the feel-bad peoples become feel-good peoples.
1972 ‘F. Sturgeon’ (title of comic book) Feelgood funnies.
1977 Washington Post 24 May a11/2 (heading) Test of Carter's ‘Feel Good’ Foreign Policy is Workability.
1990 R. Blount First Hubby 21 I am not one of these feel-good shrinks... I am usually stern.
2010 Jewish Chron. 15 Oct. (Health & Wellbeing Suppl.) 11/1 Laughter relieves stress, increases blood flow and releases endorphins, natural feelgood chemicals.
Compounds
feel-good factor n. (a) an aspect of a situation which generates a feeling of satisfaction or well-being; (b) spec. (chiefly British Politics) a feeling of well-being and (esp. financial) security prevailing in a nation, viewed as a factor in increased consumer spending and satisfaction with the government.
ΚΠ
1984 Industry Week (Nexis) 10 Dec. 49 The ‘feel good’ factors are the same in Japan as in the United States because human nature is inherently the same East and West.
1987 Business Week (Nexis) 25 May 72 Thatcher is benefiting from the ‘feel good’ factor among voters.
1995 New Scientist 11 Mar. 20/2 The more vigorous the physical activity, say the exercise evangelists, the stronger the feel-good factor.
2012 Daily Tel. 3 Sept. 34/7 It is unwise to expect the Olympics to have created a long-lasting feelgood factor.
Derivatives
ˈfeel-goodism n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > happiness > [noun] > euphoria or feeling of well-being
euphoria1728
bien-être1849
feel-good1977
feel-goodism1977
1977 N.Y. Times Mag. 15 May (Late City ed.) 12/4 Tom Wolfe observes that feelgoodism rests on an obsessive passion.
1990 Nation 22 Oct. 437/2 The day looked ripe, all in all, for a little Democratic feel-goodism.
2006 Time Out N.Y. 9 Nov. 98/2 Even the climax undercuts sentimental feel-goodisms with unexpected camera placements.
ˈfeel-goodist n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > happiness > [noun] > euphoria or feeling of well-being > one who or that which induces
feel-goodist1977
feel-good1993
1977 N.Y. Times Mag. 15 May (Late City ed.) 12/4 The feelgoodists are heretics.
1993 Guardian 13 Aug. ii. 6/1 The rise of eco-friendly feel-goodists such as the Stereos and Jamiroquai.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1849