an imaginary paradise on earth, especially a remote and exotic utopia.
a faraway haven or hideaway of idyllic beauty and tranquility.
Last summer we rented a cottage on a little lake—our perfect Shangri-la.
A “Shangri-La,” by extension, is an ideal refuge from the troubles of the world.
After the fictional Tibetan land of eternal youth in the novel The Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Days before arriving in Singapore for the Shangri-la Dialogue, Australia's defence minister Richard Marles addressed this criticism saying they had to go ahead with the Aukus submarine project as there was no "plan B".
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
“When you walk into this house,” he says, “you are walking into Harlan’s brain. He loved the film ‘Lost Horizon’ and the concept of Shangri-la, a place where everything that gave you joy would exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
"Ratched" was a bomb, but the psychiatric hospital where Sarah Paulson's wicked nurse worked was an interior designer's Shangri-la.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at Singapore's Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in June, where a handshake marked their closest interaction.
From Reuters ● Sep. 16, 2023
The house was set on a half-acre landscaped like Shangri-la.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
AHS Properties said it bought Dubai’s Shangri-La five-star hotel for $300 million, affirming its confidence in the region despite falling tourism due to the Middle East war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The U.S. and Chinese militaries aren’t expected to engage directly at the Shangri-La Dialogue this year, with China sending its lowest-level delegation since senior Chinese military officers started attending the conference nearly two decades ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
At the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Hegseth was asked by Japan's defence minister to address concerns about US commitment.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Two other former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, previously spoke at Shangri-La.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Longtime visitors to the Khumbu are saddened by the boom in tourism and the change it has wrought on what early Western climbers regarded as an earthly paradise, a real-life Shangri-La.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
