Shangri-la

noun

ˌshaŋ-gri-ˈlä How to pronounce Shangri-la (audio)
Definition of Shangri-lanext
as in utopia
an often imaginary place or state of utter perfection and happiness a dreamer who spent much of his life roaming the world in search of his personal Shangri-la

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Shangri-la This salon has a roster of 50 different tea blends from which to choose (and tea sommeliers to help out any newbies)—it's Shangri-la for tea snobs. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Shangri-la
  1. utopia
  2. paradise
  3. heaven
Noun
  • The post sparked much debate about whether a pause was possible given the financial incentives, whether RSI would finally produce some version of the AGI singularity or utopia, and whether RSI was even possible at all.
    — Arianna Huffington, Time, 29 June 2026
  • Winner of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Award 2025, the Centara Grand Lagoon Resort is nothing short of a tropical utopia.
    — Deeya Sonalkar, TheWeek, 18 June 2026
Definition of utopia
Noun
  • And while Coors Field isn’t exactly a pitcher’s paradise, the two-time All-Star would not use the altitude as an excuse for his poor outing.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • During mosquito season, Mosquito Joe will spray your yard every three weeks to make your backyard paradise for summer BBQs, pool days and bonfires.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of paradise
Noun
  • Plants look simply stunning in the garden, with silvery foliage and heaven-scented blooms abuzz with pollinators.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
  • The queen of pop swapped her Confessions II-era shiny golden doll-like curls for a high-to-the-heavens mullet.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 22 June 2026
Definition of heaven

Browse Nearby Words

shanghais
Shangri-la
Shangri-las
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shangri-la.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Shangri-la. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All