la-la land
noun
a state of being out of touch with reality.
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la-la land
American
[lah-lah]
/ ˈlɑˌlɑ /
noun
Slang.
-
a state of being out of touch with reality.
-
(usually initial capital letters) Los Angeles.
La-La land
British
/ ˈlɑːˌlɑː /
noun
-
a nickname for Los Angeles
-
(not capitals) a place that is remote from reality
la-la land
Idioms
-
Los Angeles, California (often abbreviated L.A.). This expression pokes fun at the alleged eccentricities of the city's inhabitants. For example, What do you expect? Frederick has lived in la-la land for ten years and it has rubbed off on him . [ Slang ; c. 1980]
-
A state of being out of touch with reality, as in I don't know what's going on with Amy—she seems to be in la-la land . [ Slang ; c. 1980] Also see cloud-cuckoo land ; never-never land .
Etymology
Origin of la-la land
1980–85; reduplication of L.A., abbreviation of Los Angeles
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hollywood is having a hard time right now, but its biggest handicap may be a certain class of celebrity influencer that has been suffered for too long to live in la-la land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Then we’re supposed to keep pretending we’re in la-la land and everything’s gonna be great. And I just don’t think that’s realistic.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
That’s what he fears most now, and it helps explain why he seems to be going from merely off the rails to a headlong dash to la-la land.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells has been accused of living in "la-la land" by a lawyer representing sub-postmasters.
From BBC ● May 24, 2024
As for Alexia—well, she was somewhere in la-la land.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Five years ago, he published Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, a deliciously irreverent account of his adventures in La-La land, one of the best recent theatrical memoirs.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 29, 2012
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
