idyll

American  

[ahyd-l] / ˈaɪd l /

Or idyl

noun

1. a delightful, tranquil rural scene or episode, reminiscent of or suitable for pastoral art or literature.

   A great many horror movies are set in a suburban idyll.

2. a short descriptive or narrative poem or prose work, depicting a pleasant, tranquil, idealized pastoral scene or event, or any charmingly simple episode in literature.

3. A long narrative poem on a major theme, but less elevated and formal in subject matter, language, and tone than an epic.

   Tennyson's Idylls of the King is an elegaic retelling of Arthurian legend.

4. a brief or inconsequential romantic affair.

5. Music. a composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character.

---

idyll British  

/ ˈɪdɪl /

noun

1. a poem or prose work describing an idealized rural life, pastoral scenes, etc

2. any simple narrative or descriptive piece in poetry or prose

3. a charming or picturesque scene or event

4. a piece of music with a calm or pastoral character

---

Etymology

Origin of idyll

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin īdyllium from Greek eidýllion “short pastoral poem,” equivalent to eíd(os) “form” + -yllion diminutive suffix

Explanation

An idyll is a short period in which everything is wonderful. You could say a cruise you took with your family was an idyll in an otherwise difficult year. In its more formal sense, idyll describes a pastoral interlude or a poem set in nature — an idealized, or idyllic, version of nature where you are drinking champagne under the apple trees, and no one has stepped in cow manure or walked through poison ivy.

Example Sentences

In what has all the hallmarks of a staged "scoop", this week's front page carries photographs of the couple taken recently on holiday in Corsica with the headline "The idyll that no-one expected."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

It begins with a suburban idyll, bedroom curtains milky white in the morning sunlight, a mother waking to the radio, father and son out for an early bike ride.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

In her columns for “Smart Housekeeping,” Elizabeth presides over an idyll of New England domesticity.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

The idyll was hemmed in by immaculate office buildings housing high-profile Hollywood and tech tenants including Amazon, Oracle and AMC Networks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2025

Then, in the midst of this idyll, came the first of two pivotal setbacks.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• breathing space
• lull
• respite