blissful ignorance

American  

[blis-fuhl ig-ner-uhns] / ˈblɪs fəl ˈɪg nər əns /

noun

1. the condition of being unaware, and often choosing to remain unaware, of complex issues, negative circumstances, etc., that might be distressing.

   Many people likely have hypertension and don't know it, living out their lives in blissful ignorance.

   To assume a stance of blissful ignorance about abuses in our own institution is nothing short of cowardice.

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Other Word Forms

• blissfully ignorant
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of blissful ignorance

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blissful ignorance

Counting to three and closing your eyes is all it takes to wipe the ovine memory clean and return to a state of blissful ignorance.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

If almost any other manager admitted such blissful ignorance, people would think they were at it.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025

According to Harry, many people had a "blissful ignorance" towards the illness because they didn’t think they were at risk for contracting it.

From Fox News ● Feb. 10, 2022

A few layers of blissful ignorance or patriotic gloss aren’t nearly enough to shore up a foundation that was never level and balanced to begin with.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2022

The Obscure Object and I met unawares, however, in blissful ignorance.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides