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.

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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

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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

Niigata prefecture is a coastal idyll of steep mountains and lush rice paddies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

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

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

But can their off-the-grid idyll survive the arrival of an “Outsider”?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025

But this idyll is under threat as the seawater levels continue to rise.

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2024

We grow apart, bit by bit, and eventually our summer idyll is ruined forever.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Related Words

• breathing space
• lull
• respite