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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

Bali, Indonesia's famed tropical paradise, has become a hostspot for digital nomads in recent years, resulting in growing tensions between expats and locals.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

They have enlisted Hao—apparently a much-in-demand dating coach—to guide them to marital paradise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Every year, tens of thousands of birds glide over the rusting remains of one of the Mediterranean's largest saltworks, to rest in the rare paradise it left behind.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

It looked like the kind of place that, if you were from Oklahoma, you’d remember as a mythical paradise.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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

But - despite his newfound fame - Hockney quit the dreariness of post-war England in search of Paradise.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

His favorite is 1984’s jazzy “2:00 AM Paradise Cafe,” on which he collaborated with Mulligan, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Along with the Australian billionaire James Packer, he is part of Paradise Found, the developers of The Beach Club Barbuda.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

IV George had set up his stakeout on Poydras Street across from the Paradise Vendors, Incorporated, garage.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024

Neither Amsterdam nor Brussels were pedestrian paradises in the 1970s.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2022

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

When Sharks Attack Vacations become nightmares when island paradises are rocked by shark attacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 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