Definition of ARCADIAS

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Arcadia is a mountainous, landlocked region of Greece. The Roman poet Virgil recognized that Arcadia's isolation and bucolic character make it a perfect setting for pastoral poetry, and over the centuries many other writers have agreed. In the poems of Arcadia, naive and ideal innocence is often unaffected by the passions of the larger world. Shepherds play their pipes and sigh with longing for flirtatious nymphs; shepherdesses sing to their flocks; and goat-footed nature gods cavort in the fields and woods. Now English speakers often use arcadia to designate a place of rustic innocence and simple, quiet pleasure. Arcadian can mean "idyllically pastoral" or "idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled."

Examples of arcadia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The spareness feels like richness, an arcadia of silence and stillness that trains our attention on the actors’ every word and gesture. — Elaine Blair, The New York Review of Books, "Designing Women," 1 Dec. 2020 The 16-foot arcadia doors have an 8-foot opening for prime indoor-outdoor living. — Kelsey Murrietta, The Arizona Republic, "Scottsdale family updates midcentury home with a nod to its roots. Take a look," 9 Oct. 2020 Capofaro, its sharpest hotel, with new suites, sits in an organic arcadia of wildflowers, vines, and herbs, all used in-house (highlights: the Ragusano cheese, the homegrown loquats). — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, "These Islands Near Sicily Might Be the Last Uncrowded Part of Italy," 22 Aug. 2019 In this arcadia, their conjoined life once again thrust them back into the spotlight. — Yunte Huang, WSJ, "The Amazing American Story of the Original Siamese Twins," 29 Mar. 2018 Departing various Northeastern professional arcadias and supposedly superior dining opportunities for the bleached-linen, biscuit-baking, horsefly-biting landscape of my childhood. — Allison Glock, Southern Living, "The Joys of Moving Back South," 14 Sep. 2012 Departing various Northeastern professional arcadias and supposedly superior dining opportunities for the bleached-linen, biscuit-baking, horsefly-biting landscape of my childhood. — Allison Glock, Southern Living, "The Joys of Moving Back South," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arcadia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.