hedonistic

the word 'hedonistic' is built upon the ancient greek noun hēdonē, which straightforwardly meant "pleasure" or "delight." this root was adopted into english philosophical vocabulary in the 19th century to form 'hedonism,' the doctrine that pleasure is the highest good. the agent suffix -ist was added to denote a follower of this doctrine, a 'hedonist.' finally, the adjectival suffix -ic was appended, transforming it into 'hedonistic,' an adjective describing the qualities or behaviors characteristic of such a person. thus, the term's literal construction—"pertaining to one concerned with pleasure"—precisely maps onto its modern meaning of a lifestyle or attitude devoted to sensual or luxurious self-gratification.

Structure: hedon (pleasure) + ist (person who practices) + ic (adjective suffix) hedon (from greek hēdonē, meaning "pleasure"); ist (from greek -istēs, a suffix forming agent nouns, meaning "one who practices or is concerned with"); ic (from latin -icus, via french -ique, a suffix forming adjectives, meaning "of, pertaining to, or having the nature of").