heaven, as the final abode of the righteous.
an intermediate place for the departed souls of the righteous awaiting resurrection.
(often initial capital letter) Eden.
a place of extreme beauty, delight, or happiness.
a state of supreme happiness; bliss.
Architecture.
an enclosure beside a church, as an atrium or cloister.
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.
heaven as the ultimate abode or state of the righteous
Islam the sensual garden of delights that the Koran promises the faithful after death
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
the place or state of happiness enjoyed by Adam before the first sin; the Garden of Eden
any place or condition that fulfils all one's desires or aspirations
a park in which foreign animals are kept
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”
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But there is no paradise on earth, and for now and forever in some way, this place is my home.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
“It was heaven on earth and now I call it paradise lost.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Nearby is a neatly parked row of colourful, personalised golf carts - the preferred mode of transport in this sprawling pensioners' paradise.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
But recent posts on Instagram, TikTok and as far afield as China's RedNote showing the town's Tasman Drive have left residents fuming that their little slice of paradise has turned into an internet sensation.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Longtime visitors to the Khumbu are saddened by the boom in tourism and the change it has wrought on what early Western climbers regarded as an earthly paradise, a real-life Shangri-La.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
