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• paradise
  paradise

  noun

  heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.
• Paradise
  Paradise

  noun

  a town in N California.

paradise

¹ American  

[par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

• paradises
  plural

1. heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.

2. an intermediate place for the departed souls of the righteous awaiting resurrection.

3. (often initial capital letter) Eden.

4. a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.

5. a state of supreme happiness; bliss.

6. Architecture.

   1. parvis.

   2. an enclosure beside a church, as an atrium or cloister.

7. 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.

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Paradise ² American  

[par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

1. a town in N California.

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paradise British  

/ ˈpærəˌdaɪs /

noun

1. heaven as the ultimate abode or state of the righteous

2. Islam the sensual garden of delights that the Koran promises the faithful after death

3. 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

4. the place or state of happiness enjoyed by Adam before the first sin; the Garden of Eden

5. any place or condition that fulfils all one's desires or aspirations

6. a park in which foreign animals are kept

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paradise Cultural  

1. A place or state of pure happiness. Christians (see also Christian) have identified paradise both with the Garden of Eden and with heaven.

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paradise Idioms  

1. see fool's paradise.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paradises
  plural

Etymology

Origin of paradise

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”

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paradise Paradise paradises

While many Chinese cities have restricted motorcycling, Chongqing has embraced it and become a biker's paradise.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

In some caves where enlightened paradise is depicted, it’s utopic: singers and dancers prancing in revelry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

This seems like paradise compared to what the Ellisons and their kind envision.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

From the beginning, Mildred vowed that her daughter Veda would have all the things this newly blossoming post-war suburban paradise could offer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

As Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead burst: Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

The median list price of a home on southwest Florida’s Paradise Coast was about $700,000.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Great Bird Race, for Channel 4 in 1983, was followed by a number of programmes for the BBC including The Great Kenyan Bird Safari and Oddie in Paradise.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

An evacuation warning was temporarily issued for the residents living in the 133 homes at the Paradise Ranch Estates Mobile Home Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Deputies were initially called at 3:20 a.m. to Pacific Coast Highway, near Paradise Cove Road, for reports of a vehicle that crashed into a pole, said Lt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Published in 1991, Roosevelt’s initial report on Marajo was like the antimatter version of Counterfeit Paradise.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

“Sinkholes are paradises for many rare and endangered plant species. We are continuing to make new discoveries.”

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024

On Saturday they endorsed a global minimum tax on corporations, a linchpin of new international tax rules aimed at blunting fiscal paradises amid skyrocketing profits of some multinationals.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2021

White understands the nuances of class struggle and how manicured paradises have a way of relaxing the unsuspecting into dropping their masks.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2021

In the early days of the pandemic, cities and residents sought to keep coronavirus patients away from their paradises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2020

Some scholars imagine ancient hunter-gatherer societies as peaceful paradises, and argue that war and violence began only with the Agricultural Revolution, when people started to accumulate private property.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• bliss
• heaven
• utopia
• wonderland