bardo

American  

[bahr-doh] / ˈbɑr doʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

plural

bardos

1. (in Lamaism) the state of the soul between death and rebirth.

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bardo British  

/ ˈbɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. (in Tibetan Buddhism) the state of the soul between its death and its rebirth

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Etymology

Origin of bardo

First recorded in 1625–30, bardo is from the Tibetan word bár-do “between two” (i.e., a transition, intermediate state)

Example Sentences

Tristan’s passage between worlds is anything but serene, and dancers, subtly choreographed by Annie-B Parson, accompany him as he hovers in the tunnel that suggests the bardo of Tibetan Buddhism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

In the end, Wainwright has created a latter-day bardo, the spiritual journey that follows death.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

In Tibetan Buddhism, the bardo is the transitional state between death and rebirth.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

It’s like a cultural bardo — between a Kardashian present and a brave Frances McDormand future.

From Washington Post • Nov. 22, 2021

Entertained but also punch-drunk, the reader by the end is ready to move on from the bardo of Des Moines.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2018