pleased

pleased — adjective

1. feeling happiness or satisfaction because something good has happened, or becaus

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling happiness or satisfaction because something good has happened, or because something you wanted has been achieved.

Example

The librarian was pleased to see so many children at the reading event.

pleased + to-infinitive for reaction to a situation

The manager felt pleased with the team's progress this quarter.

pleased with + noun phrase for satisfaction about something

Common collocations
  • pleased with the result
  • pleased about the news
  • pleased that everything worked out
  • very pleased
  • quite pleased
  • genuinely pleased
Synonyms
  • glad

    slightly less formal; more about general happiness than specific satisfaction

  • satisfied

    focuses on contentment after a need or standard is met; less emotional than 'pleased'

  • delighted

    stronger and more enthusiastic than 'pleased'; suggests real joy

  • happy

    broader and more general; can refer to overall mood rather than a specific cause

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

pleased + with + noun phrase

pleased + about + noun phrase

pleased + that + clause

pleased + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'with' when the object of satisfaction is a specific thing or person ('pleased with the results'), or by 'about' for a more general situation ('pleased about the news'). The that-clause pattern is common in both spoken and written English for explaining the reason for the good feeling.

Common Mistakes

I am pleasing with the service.
I am pleased with the service.
'pleasing' is an adjective meaning nice to experience; for your own feeling, use 'pleased'.
She was pleased from the gift.
She was pleased with the gift.
use 'with', not 'from', after 'pleased'.
He was pleased to passed the exam.
He was pleased to pass the exam.
after 'pleased to', use the base form of the verb, not past tense.

2. ready and happy to help or take part — a polite way of agreeing to do what someo

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

ready and happy to help or take part — a polite way of agreeing to do what someone asks.

Example

The hotel staff said they would be pleased to arrange a taxi for the guests.

would be pleased + to-infinitive for polite offer

The volunteers were pleased to help set up the chairs for the wedding reception.

Common collocations
  • pleased to help
  • pleased to assist
  • pleased to welcome
  • pleased to meet
  • would be pleased to
Synonyms
  • happy

    less formal than 'pleased' in this sense; 'I'd be happy to help' is friendly and common

  • glad

    similar level of formality to 'pleased'; 'I'd be glad to help' sounds warm but still polite

  • willing

    more neutral and less polite; describes readiness without the positive emotion

Antonyms
  • unwilling

    opposite of willingness; not typically used in polite formulas

Grammar Patterns

pleased + to-infinitive (polite offer)

would be pleased + to-infinitive (conditional polite offer)

pleased + to meet you (polite first-meeting formula)

Usage Note

This sense is almost always followed by a to-infinitive and is commonly used in service and professional contexts ('We would be pleased to assist you'). The past-tense 'were pleased to' is often used to report a willing action. The fixed phrase 'pleased to meet you' is one of the first politeness formulas taught to learners and belongs to this sense.

Common Mistakes

I am pleased for helping you.
I am pleased to help you.
use the to-infinitive, not 'for + -ing', after 'pleased' in this sense.
Pleased meet you.
Pleased to meet you.
the 'to' is required before the verb.

3. feeling annoyingly proud of your own achievements, successes, or cleverness, esp

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

feeling annoyingly proud of your own achievements, successes, or cleverness, especially in a way that makes others dislike you.

Example

The player looked rather pleased with himself after scoring the winning goal.

pleased with + reflexive pronoun (self-satisfied)

The student had a pleased smile when her answer was the only correct one in class.

Common collocations
  • pleased with yourself
  • too pleased
  • rather pleased
  • pleased about winning
  • pleased smile
Synonyms
  • smug

    stronger and more openly negative than 'pleased' in this sense

  • self-satisfied

    more formal; describes the same excessive pride

  • conceited

    broader; describes a lasting character trait, not just a reaction

Antonyms
  • humble

    the opposite attitude; not feeling too proud of one's achievements

Grammar Patterns

pleased + with + reflexive pronoun (+ noun phrase)

pleased + about + noun phrase (negative sense)

pleased + that-clause (negative sense)

Usage Note

This sense carries a negative or critical tone. The writer or speaker usually disapproves of the person's pride. It often appears with intensifiers like 'rather', 'far too', or 'a little too', and commonly pairs with a reflexive pronoun ('pleased with yourself'). Distinguish from sense 1 — in sense 1 the satisfaction is about a genuinely good outcome; in sense 3 the speaker implies the pride is excessive or inappropriate.

Common Mistakes

❌ 'She was pleased with herself after helping her friend.' (if the help was genuinely kind, sense 1 fits better) — 'pleased with yourself' usually suggests the pride is a bit much or misjudged. For sincere satisfaction, use 'pleased that she could help' instead.

Idioms

only too pleased (to do something)

idiom

Very happy and eager to do something.

Sara was only too pleased to help her friend move.

The teacher was only too pleased to explain the lesson again.

(as) pleased/proud as Punch

idiom

Extremely happy or proud about something.

After winning the race, Tom was as pleased as Punch.

Grandma was as proud as Punch of her garden.

pleased with yourself

idiom

Feeling too proud or satisfied about something you did.

Diego looked pleased with himself after fixing the computer.

Why are you so pleased with yourself today?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe positive feelings, but they differ in intensity and focus. 'Glad' is the lightest — it suggests relief or mild happiness about a specific event ('I am glad the rain stopped'), and is more common in everyday conversation. 'Satisfied' is more about meeting a goal or standard than about emotion; it works well in professional or evaluative contexts ('the customer was satisfied with the service'). 'Delighted' is much stronger and more enthusiastic than 'pleased', carrying a sense of real joy or thrill ('the children were delighted with the surprise party'). 'Happy' is the broadest term; it can describe a general mood ('I feel happy today') or a reaction to something specific, but it lacks the precision of 'pleased' about a particular outcome. For example: 'The author was pleased that the book received good reviews' (focused on the outcome) versus 'The author was happy' (could mean anything).

glad ↗satisfied ↗delighted ↗happy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pleased to say
  • pleased to report
  • pleased to announce

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'pleased' comes from the Old French 'plaisir' meaning 'to give pleasure', which itself traces back to the Latin 'placēre' ('to be acceptable, to please'). The past participle 'pleased' was first used as an adjective in English during the 14th century, originally with the meaning 'satisfied, contented' — the same core meaning it still carries today.