Shangri-la

[ shang-gruh-lah, shang-gruh-lah ]

noun

1. an imaginary paradise on earth, especially a remote and exotic utopia.
2. a faraway haven or hideaway of idyllic beauty and tranquility:

   Last summer we rented a cottage on a little lake—our perfect Shangri-la.

Shangri-la

/ ˌʃæŋɡrɪˈlɑː /

noun

1. a remote or imaginary utopia

Shangri-La

1. A fictional land of peace and perpetual youth; the setting for the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by the English author James Hilton, but probably best known from the movie versions. Shangri-La is supposedly in the mountains of Tibet .

Notes

A “Shangri-La,” by extension, is an ideal refuge from the troubles of the world.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shangri-la¹

After the fictional Tibetan land of eternal youth in the novel The Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shangri-la¹

C20: from the name of an imaginary valley in the Himalayas, from Lost Horizon (1933), a novel by James Hilton

Example Sentences

But Ello is not the Shangri-La of social networks that it might appear to be at first blush.

From The Daily Beast

For example, I adore the girl groups of the early 1960s: The Cookies, The Ronettes, The Shangri La's, and so on.

From The Daily Beast

She checked into an entire 41-room floor of the Shangri-La Hotel on 23 December.

From The Daily Beast

Still, many Africans see it as a Shangri-la, and the borders are porous.

From The Daily Beast

First you get me drunk—only I'm not high any more—then you take me to Shangri-La.

From Project Gutenberg