heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.
an intermediate place for the departed souls of the righteous awaiting resurrection.
(often initial capital letter) Eden.
a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.
a state of supreme happiness; bliss.
Architecture.
an enclosure beside a church, as an atrium or cloister.
Italian Paradiso. (initial capital letter, italics) the third and concluding part of Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting heaven, through which he is guided by Beatrice.
heaven as the ultimate abode or state of the righteous
Islam the sensual garden of delights that the Koran promises the faithful after death
Also called: limbo. (according to some theologians) the intermediate abode or state of the just prior to the Resurrection of Jesus, as in Luke 23:43
the place or state of happiness enjoyed by Adam before the first sin; the Garden of Eden
any place or condition that fulfils all one's desires or aspirations
a park in which foreign animals are kept
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English paradīs, from Late Latin paradīsus, from Greek parádeisos “park, pleasure-grounds,” from Old Iranian; compare Avestan pairi-daēza “enclosure”; akin to Greek perí peri- ( def. ), teîkhos “mound, wall”
In some religions, paradise is considered the ultimate destination, but in general, it's any place that is ideal and free from worry. Eden, Shangri-la, or even the corner nail salon — each might represent paradise to someone. Paradise comes from the Greek paradeisos meaning "park, paradise, Garden of Eden." The Garden of Eden was a paradise free from all worries until Eve ate the apple that broke the dream. Often when you see advertisements for tourism in the Caribbean, a sense of paradise is evoked by the beautiful images and carefree descriptions.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
PARADISE, Calif. — When Jen Goodlin visited Paradise six months after the 2018 Camp fire, she thought she was saying goodbye.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
In addition, she tagged the location as "PARADISE."
From Fox News • Feb. 17, 2022
PARADISE, Calif. — As his neighbors fled, Kevin Jeys read.
From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2018
PARADISE, Calif. — The thing about Paradise is that people expected to live out their lives here in the hills.
From Washington Post • Nov. 12, 2018
There are to be three movements, HELL, PURGATORY, and PARADISE, the two first purely instrumental, the last with chorus.
From Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 2 by Hueffer, Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
