ˈhēd ə nˌizəm, -dəˌni- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Greek hēdonē pleasure + English -ism
1. : an ethical doctrine taught by the ancient Epicureans and Cyrenaics and by the modern utilitarians that asserts that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life — called also ethical hedonism ; distinguished from psychological hedonism ; compare egoistic hedonism , epicureanism , eudaemonism , universalistic hedonism
2. : a way of life based on or suggesting the principles of hedonism
she was a perfect specimen of selfish hedonism — Donald Armstrong