la-la land
Americannoun
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a state of being out of touch with reality.
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(usually initial capital letters) Los Angeles.
noun
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a nickname for Los Angeles
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(not capitals) a place that is remote from reality
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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]
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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.
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
“Now that we realize, all of us, that we were living in la-la land, we can’t fix them,” said Fawaz.
From Slate • Oct. 29, 2020
Nunes, though, has often veered far afield into the la-la land of conspiracy theory.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2019
Real life and protest intervened in that la-la land of make believe and running up and down a basketball court.
From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2017
As for Alexia—well, she was somewhere in la-la land.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Definitions 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.
