halcyon

adjective

hal·cy·on | \ ˈhal-sē-ən

Definition of halcyon

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity : golden —often used to describe an idyllic time in the past that is remembered as better than today the halcyon days of youthClassics Illustrated have become pricey nostalgia items for those who grew up in the supposedly halcyon years after World War II.— Donna RichardsonIn those halcyon days of the free trade, the fixed price for carrying a box of tea or bale of tobacco from the coast of Galloway to Edinburgh was fifteen shillings …— Sir Walter Scott

b : calm, peaceful a halcyon atmosphere

c : prosperous, affluent

2 : of or relating to the halcyon (see halcyon entry 2) or its nesting period

halcyon

noun

Definition of halcyon (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a bird identified with the kingfisher and held in ancient legend to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation

2 : kingfisher

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about halcyon

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Did You Know?

Noun

According to Greek mythology, Alkyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so distraught when she learned that her husband had been killed in a shipwreck that she threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher. As a result, ancient Greeks called such birds alkyon or halkyon. The legend also says that such birds built floating nests on the sea, where they so charmed the wind god that he created a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds' eggs hatched. This legend prompted people to use halcyon both as a noun naming a genus of kingfisher and as an adjective meaning either "of or relating to the kingfisher or its nesting period" or calm.

Examples of halcyon in a Sentence

Adjective

a halcyon era following the American Civil War during those early halcyon years the company's potential for growth seemed unlimited

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

That doesn’t take away from the reality of the situation: Some coaches and general managers are a long way from those initial halcyon days where every arrow is pointing up. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "The NFL’s Seven Hottest Seats," 19 June 2019 Broomfield does a particularly good job of immersing viewers in Hydra’s halcyon pleasures, then gently exposing the community’s darker shadows. — Ann Hornaday, Twin Cities, "Singer Leonard Cohen and his muse are the subjects of this absorbing documentary," 25 July 2019 Biden’s pitch to voters is moderation, electability and a callback to the halcyon days of the Obama Administration. — Molly Ball, Time, "What Do the Democrats Stand For? Inside a Fight Over America's Future," 25 July 2019 That pattern produced thrills of novelty when Szeemann, like many brilliant artists of his halcyon moment, introduced it to pronounce an epochal abandonment of modernism’s mythology of progress. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "Harald Szeemann’s Revolutionary Curating," 15 July 2019 But this halcyon period, before the campaigns become reduced to sound bites, is a great moment for Democratic oratory in the twenty-first century. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, "On the Oratory Trail in Iowa," 11 June 2019 Meanwhile, Dan and Blair are working at W. Ah, the halcyon days of Condé Nast interns. — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, "Every Single Episode of Gossip Girl, Ranked," 19 Sep. 2018 The movie swears allegiance to that halcyon, carefree world, where humor is a matter of laughing with rather than at. — A.o. Scott, New York Times, "Review: ‘Early Man’ Is a Very Funny Trip to the Past," 15 Feb. 2018 During its halcyon days in the 1920s and 1930s, modern architecture claimed to be astylar and universally applicable. — Anthony Alofsin, The Atlantic, "A Defense of the Suburbs," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'halcyon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for halcyon

halcyon

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of halcyon

literary : very happy and successful

halcyon

Definition of halcyon

Synonyms & Antonyms for halcyon

Did You Know?

Examples of halcyon in a Sentence

First Known Use of halcyon

History and Etymology for halcyon

English Language Learners Definition of halcyon

halcyon

Definition of halcyon

Synonyms & Antonyms for halcyon

Did You Know?

Examples of halcyon in a Sentence

First Known Use of halcyon

History and Etymology for halcyon

English Language Learners Definition of halcyon

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