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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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

Example Sentences

“When you walk into this house,” he says, “you are walking into Harlan’s brain. He loved the film ‘Lost Horizon’ and the concept of Shangri-la, a place where everything that gave you joy would exist.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

"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

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at Singapore's Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in June, where a handshake marked their closest interaction.

From Reuters • Sep. 16, 2023

The rabbit was then released into a "wooded Shangri-la" near Parc Menai, Bangor.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2022

The house was set on a half-acre landscaped like Shangri-la.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols