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• Shangri-la
  Shangri-la

  noun

  an imaginary paradise on earth, especially a remote and exotic utopia.
• Shangri-La
  Shangri-La

  A fictional land of peace and perpetual youth; the setting for the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by the English author James Hilton, but probably best known from the movie versions. Shangri-La is supposedly in the mountains of Tibet.

Shangri-la

American  

[shang-gruh-lah, shang-gruh-lah] / ˈʃæŋ grəˌlɑ, ˌʃæŋ grəˈlɑ /

noun

1. an imaginary paradise on earth, especially a remote and exotic utopia.

2. a faraway haven or hideaway of idyllic beauty and tranquility.

   Last summer we rented a cottage on a little lake—our perfect Shangri-la.

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Shangri-la British  

/ ˌʃæŋɡrɪˈlɑː /

noun

1. a remote or imaginary utopia

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Shangri-La Cultural  

1. A fictional land of peace and perpetual youth; the setting for the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by the English author James Hilton, but probably best known from the movie versions. Shangri-La is supposedly in the mountains of Tibet.

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Discover More

A “Shangri-La,” by extension, is an ideal refuge from the troubles of the world.

Etymology

Origin of Shangri-la

After the fictional Tibetan land of eternal youth in the novel The Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Shangri-la Shangri-La

Organised by the think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-la Dialogue has traditionally been anchored by the US and China, which have been jostling for power in the region.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025

"Ratched" was a bomb, but the psychiatric hospital where Sarah Paulson's wicked nurse worked was an interior designer's Shangri-la.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023

Beijing has also refused requests from the U.S. for a face-to-face meeting between the defense chiefs of both countries during the June 2-4 Shangri-la Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2023

Austin pushed for improved communication between the rival forces when met Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of Shangri-la Dialogue security meeting in Singapore in June.

From Reuters ● Aug. 6, 2022

Herbie gawked at this serene woman who traipsed so placidly about her Shangri-la.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

The Camp David property - set deep in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland - was first taken over as a retreat by President Franklin Roosevelt, who nicknamed it "Shangri-La".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Wu said he and his partner decided to come to Shangri-La because of the town’s slogan billing itself as “the closest place to heaven.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The area around present-day Shangri-La began to grow rich as Drolma’s family and other ethnic Tibetans jumped into harvesting the mushrooms, which grow naturally on the oaks and pines of the Eastern Himalayas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's top defence forum, bringing together security officials and experts from about 45 countries.

From Barron's ● May 31, 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

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