El Dorado

[ el duh-rah-doh, -rey- or, Spanish, el daw-rah-thaw for 1, 2; el duh-rey-doh for 3, 4 ]

/ ˌɛl dəˈrɑ doʊ, -ˈreɪ- or, Spanish, ɛl dɔˈrɑ ðɔ for 1, 2; ˌɛl dəˈreɪ doʊ for 3, 4 /

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See synonyms for El Dorado on Thesaurus.com

noun

a legendary treasure city of South America, sought by the early Spanish explorers.

any place offering great wealth.

a city in S Arkansas.

a town in S Kansas.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby El Dorado

eldest, eldest hand, El Diente Peak, ELDO, Eldon, El Dorado, ELDR, Eldred, Eldredge, eldress, Eldridge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use El Dorado in a sentence

The El Dorado district appears to mimic Las Vegas, while Monte Visto looks a lot like the gated communities in the Palm Springs area of California.
Saints Row, the funhouse mirror version of Grand Theft Auto, will reboot in 2022|Gene Park|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
We might not need the level of detail on Hudson’s novel Green Mansions, for example, or the blow-by-blow account of Sir Walter Raleigh’s efforts to find El Dorado in southern Guyana.
The Mystery of the Falkland Islands' Striated Caracara|Paul Kvinta|April 2, 2021|Outside Online
However, strong Santa Ana winds from the east intensified the Bobcat and El Dorado fires in the San Gabriel mountain range east of the Los Angeles metro area, and ground crews put out the call for more Air Attack help.
West Coast states are calling in all their best planes and helicopters to fight fires|By Dan Pimentel/Flying|September 25, 2020|Popular-Science
In one image, a crouched woman in a dark alley drinks from a bottle marked “El Dorado,” while boxes burn nearby.
Photographer Raymond Depardon Captures the ‘Sweet Moments’|Sarah Moroz|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The one that gets me the most is the El Dorado Chemical Plant.
13 Revelations From Reddit’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’ Thread Exposing Alleged Industry Secrets|Nina Strochlic|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And yet for his new book, The Lost City of Z, Grann marched off into the Amazon jungle to search for a fabled El Dorado.
Raiders of the Lost City|The Daily Beast|February 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
May we not connect with the former existence of this inland sea the fable of the lake Parima and the El Dorado?
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado|Frank Aubrey
The term ‘El Dorado’ has come to be a synonym in the outside world for a sort of earthly paradise, has it not?
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado|Frank Aubrey
To conquer that El Dorado had been Balboa's cherished dream.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
But how often is it true that the seeker after El Dorado searches for one thing and finds another.
Heroes of To-Day|Mary R. Parkman
The costly myth of El Dorado, from the earliest days of its conception, was insatiable in the matter of human lives.
South America|W. H. Koebel

British Dictionary definitions for El Dorado

El Dorado

/ (ɛl dɒˈrɑːdəʊ, Spanish ɛl doˈraðo) /

noun

a fabled city in South America, rich in treasure and sought by Spanish explorers in the 16th century

Also: eldorado any place of great riches or fabulous opportunity

Word Origin for El Dorado

C16: from Spanish, literally: the gilded (place)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for El Dorado

El Dorado

[ (el duh-rah-doh) ]

A place of fabulous wealth, or an opportunity to obtain it. During the gold rush many adventurers believed that California would be their El Dorado. The name comes from the name of a legendary South American city of stupendous riches sought by Spanish conquistadores.