cloud nine
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cloud nine
- /ˈklaʊd ˈnaɪn/ US, UK
Where it comes from
The origin of sense 1 (“a state of bliss”) is uncertain; however, the following etymology has been suggested. (This etymology would explain the "nine" aspect, while not being the de novo origin of the "cloud" aspect; the extension of the meteorological idea to an emotional valence would not have been a de novo development, as the association of clouds with dreaminess long predates the 1890s.)
* The first edition of the International Cloud Atlas (1896), which defined ten types of cloud, described the ninth type as the cumulonimbus which rises to 10 km (6.2 miles), the highest a cloud can be.
Compare cloud seven (“state of complete happiness or euphoria”), which may have originated from confusion of cloud nine with seventh heaven.
Sense 2 (“a state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking”) may be due to a confusion between sense 1 and the phrase head in the clouds.
noun
-
Often in the phrase on cloud nine: a state of bliss, elation or happiness.
He was on cloud nine for days after she agreed to marry him.
Similar: cloud number nine, seventh heaven
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A state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking.
Now, the system approach, needless to say, wants to help out in that particular problem, but it lives up on cloud nine for the most part. This is one of the reasons that it has not made more headway than it has in the civilian agencies of government.
Similar: head in the clouds
Translations
Every language
noun state of bliss
| Español | séptimo cielo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 九霄雲外 /九霄云外 jiǔxiāoyúnwài |
| Português | sétimo céu |
| Français | septième ciel |
| Deutsch | Wolke sieben, siebter Himmel |
| Italiano | settimo cielo |
| Română | al nouălea cer |
| Русский | седьмо́е не́бо sedʹmóje nébo |
| Tiếng Việt | chín tầng mây |
| العربية | قمَة السعادَة |
Talk about this word "cloud nine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cloud%20nine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cloud nine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cloud%20nine "cloud nine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cloud%20nine.Cite this
@misc{cloud_nine_2026,
title = {cloud nine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cloud%20nine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
