El Dorado

noun

El Do·​ra·​do ˌel-də-ˈrä-(ˌ)dō 

-ˈrā-

1

: a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America

2

: a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity

Did you know?

In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch El Dorado, Spanish for "gilded one," and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, El Dorado can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas.

Examples of El Dorado in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The school’s online program is available to families in Placer, Nevada, Sutter, Yuba, Sacramento and El Dorado counties. —Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026

Two El Dorado County deputies and a suspect were shot in Camino Thursday morning, authorities said. —Brandon Downs, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026

El Dorado made 16 of its 48 shots from the floor and was 11 for 29 on 3-point tries. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026

The Miami sleep rooms come after the company’s first endeavor, at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. —Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, the gilded one

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for El Dorado

• avocado
• desperado
• adelantado
• bravado
• machado
• mikado
• incommunicado

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