nirvana

American  

[nir-vah-nuh, -van-uh, ner-] / nɪrˈvɑ nə, -ˈvæn ə, nər- /

noun

1. Pali nibbana.  (often initial capital letter) freedom from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations, with their consequent suffering, as a result of the extinction of individual passion, hatred, and delusion: attained by the Arhat as his goal but postponed by the Bodhisattva.

2. (often initial capital letter) salvation through the union of Atman with Brahma; moksha.

3. a place or state characterized by freedom from or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world.

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nirvana British  

/ nɜː-, nɪəˈvɑːnə /

noun

1. Buddhism Hinduism final release from the cycle of reincarnation attained by extinction of all desires and individual existence, culminating (in Buddhism) in absolute blessedness, or (in Hinduism) in absorption into Brahman

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nirvana Cultural  

1. In Buddhism, the highest state of consciousness, in which the soul is freed from all desires and attachments. Nirvana is sometimes inaccurately used as a synonym for heaven or paradise.

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Other Word Forms

• nirvanic adjective

Etymology

Origin of nirvana

First recorded in 1830–40, nirvana is from the Sanskrit word nirvāṇa

Compare meaning

How does nirvana compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• moksha vs. nirvana

Explanation

Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven. In Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go away. The origin of the word nirvana relates to religious enlightenment; it comes from the Sanskrit meaning "extinction, disappearance" of the individual to the universal. Achieving nirvana is to make earthly feelings like suffering and desire disappear. It's often used casually to mean any place of happiness, like if you love chocolate, going to Hershey's Park would be nirvana. On the other hand, if you're a Buddhist monk, it may take you years of meditating to reach nirvana.

Example Sentences

As awful as the pandemic was for just about everyone, it could be considered nirvana for retailers.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

Rolling on in a golf cart, David chimes in, singing, “Since we’re building this nirvana we’ll have our own trademarked Benihana.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

“This isn’t exactly the high-tech nirvana that the futurists of the 1960s were hoping for,” she said.

From Seattle Times • May 26, 2024

But the nirvana many authorities assume teen life would be if unsullied by screens is the diametric opposite of teens’ reality.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2024

He pulls me into a deeply soul-soothing hug, and my nostrils are flooded with what I’m sure is the olfactory embodiment of nirvana.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• heaven