/heed"n iz'euhm/ , n.
1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
2. devotion to pleasure as a way of life: The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.
[ 1855-60; hedon ( é ) pleasure + -ISM ]
Syn. 2. sensualism, libertinism, debauchery, dissipation, carousal.
Ant. 2. puritanism, asceticism, abstemiousness, self-denial.