happening

noun

Something that happens.

(originally art) A spontaneous or improvised event, especially one that involves audience participation.

adjective

(slang, of a place) Busy, lively; vibrant, dynamic; fashionable.

(slang, of a person or product) Trendy, up-to-the-minute.

Roots

happhapp- · Old Norse · chance, luck

Synonyms for happening

occurrencen occurringv incidentn happenstancen hapn phenomenonn thingn afootadv

Synonyms & related words for happening

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of happening — including occurrence, occurring, incident, happenstance, hap, phenomenon. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to happening

Explore words related to happening — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include supervention, happened, happens, transpiring, occurs, events, befalling, transpired. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for happening

Common synonyms for happening include occurrence, occurring, incident, happenstance, hap, phenomenon, thing, afoot — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does happening come from?

The word happening breaks down into one root of Old Norse origin: the root happ-, from Old Norse happ (“chance, luck”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.