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• paradise
  paradise

  noun

  heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.
• Paradise
  Paradise

  noun

  a town in N California.

paradise

¹ American  

[par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

• paradises
  plural

1. heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.

2. an intermediate place for the departed souls of the righteous awaiting resurrection.

3. (often initial capital letter) Eden.

4. a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.

5. a state of supreme happiness; bliss.

6. Architecture.

   1. parvis.

   2. an enclosure beside a church, as an atrium or cloister.

7. Italian Paradiso. (initial capital letter, italics) the third and concluding part of Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting heaven, through which he is guided by Beatrice.

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Paradise ² American  

[par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

1. a town in N California.

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paradise British  

/ ˈpærəˌdaɪs /

noun

1. heaven as the ultimate abode or state of the righteous

2. Islam the sensual garden of delights that the Koran promises the faithful after death

3. Also called: limbo. (according to some theologians) the intermediate abode or state of the just prior to the Resurrection of Jesus, as in Luke 23:43

4. the place or state of happiness enjoyed by Adam before the first sin; the Garden of Eden

5. any place or condition that fulfils all one's desires or aspirations

6. a park in which foreign animals are kept

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paradise Cultural  

1. A place or state of pure happiness. Christians (see also Christian) have identified paradise both with the Garden of Eden and with heaven.

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paradise Idioms  

1. see fool's paradise.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• paradises
  plural

Etymology

Origin of paradise

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English paradīs, from Late Latin paradīsus, from Greek parádeisos “park, pleasure-grounds,” from Old Iranian; compare Avestan pairi-daēza “enclosure”; akin to Greek perí peri- ( def. ), teîkhos “mound, wall”

Explanation

In some religions, paradise is considered the ultimate destination, but in general, it's any place that is ideal and free from worry. Eden, Shangri-la, or even the corner nail salon — each might represent paradise to someone. Paradise comes from the Greek paradeisos meaning "park, paradise, Garden of Eden." The Garden of Eden was a paradise free from all worries until Eve ate the apple that broke the dream. Often when you see advertisements for tourism in the Caribbean, a sense of paradise is evoked by the beautiful images and carefree descriptions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paradise Paradise paradises

The New Zealand landscape does echo the rolling hills of Central California, in a dry season, but it’s a dreary vision, hardly the paradise of Steinbeck’s memory, book or metaphor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

El Niño can create a surfing paradise in Southern California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Moyin, 22, is a political economy student, from Essex, who balances his studies with athletics and enjoys using flavours inspired by his Nigerian heritage, including grains of paradise and groundnuts.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

However, owning a piece of that paradise is, sadly, still out of her reach, she noted.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

Kicked out of Small’s, the hustler paradise incarnate, for hustling?

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

On the north side of the peninsula, Paradise Bay is home to a cluster of high-end resorts that can be reached by sleek, private water taxis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

“That’s clearly a fake argument,” he says on an early Thursday evening in August, wearing a Western-style hat and savoring two scoops of gelato from Paradise Bakery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The man, not yet identified, was fishing from his kayak about two miles off the coast near Paradise Cove, NBC Los Angeles reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Its authentic appearance has made it a popular go-to spot for film-makers, with it appearing in the TV shows Man vs Baby and Death in Paradise in recent times.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Among the afternoon pedestrians who hurried past Paradise Vendors, Incorporated, one formidable figure waddled slowly along.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

“Sinkholes are paradises for many rare and endangered plant species. We are continuing to make new discoveries.”

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024

County residents who’ve taken out their lawns and transformed their yards into fragrant, leafy, low-water paradises — often with a DIY approach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022

“Of course, paradises don’t last,” the unapologetic and rare local conservative mused.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2022

White understands the nuances of class struggle and how manicured paradises have a way of relaxing the unsuspecting into dropping their masks.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2021

Some scholars imagine ancient hunter-gatherer societies as peaceful paradises, and argue that war and violence began only with the Agricultural Revolution, when people started to accumulate private property.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• bliss
• heaven
• utopia
• wonderland