paradise

noun

par·​a·​dise ˈper-ə-ˌdīs 

-ˌdīz, 

ˈpa-rə-

1

a

: eden sense 2

b

: an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment

c

: heaven

2

: a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight

paradisial

ˌper-ə-ˈdi-sē-əl 

-zē-, 

ˌpa-rə-

adjective

or less commonly paradisical

ˌper-ə-ˈdi-si-kəl 

-zi-, 

ˌpa-rə-

Synonyms of paradise

• utopia
• heaven
• nirvana

Examples of paradise in a Sentence

Their marriage was very happy at first, but now there's trouble in paradise.

a marsh that is a birdwatcher's paradise

This shop is an antique collecting paradise!

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ziebels loved South Beach, a Brooklyn by the sea, a walker’s and shopper’s paradise, a place with no fast-food restaurants or suburban-style shopping centers. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026

And while 20 percent of its trails are marked for beginners, Whistler really is a seasoned skier's paradise, as 35 percent of the trails are marked as intermediate and a whopping 45 percent are roughly divided between advanced terrain and experts-only. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2026

For Colorado tourists in Mexico, their trips paradise quickly turned into chaos after a weekend of violent retaliation from cartel members following the death of a prominent cartel leader. —Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

From hummingbirds along the Gulf Coast to warblers in the treetops, spring migration turns every Southern state into a birdwatcher’s paradise. —Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English paradis, paradise "the Garden of Eden, heaven," borrowed from Anglo-French paradis, borrowed from Late Latin paradīsus, borrowed from Greek parádeisos "enclosed park or pleasure ground" (Xenophon), "the Garden of Eden" (Septuagint), "the abode of the blessed, heaven" (New Testament), borrowed from an Iranian word (perhaps Median *paridaiza-) cognate with Avestan pairidaēza- "enclosure," nominal derivative of pairidaēz- "build a barrier around," from pairi- "before, around" (going back to Indo-European *per-i, whence also Sanskrit pári "around, about," Greek péri "around, in excess") + -daēza- "heap up, build" (occurring only with prefixes), going back to Indo-European *dhoi̯ǵh-éi̯e-, iterative derivative of *dhei̯ǵh- "knead, shape" — more at peri-, feign

Note: As an independent derivative of the verb, Avestan daēza- "heap, pile (of earth, stones)" has been compared with Greek teîchos (neuter s-stem) "wall, fortification," toîchos (masculine) "wall of a house or enclosure," Sanskrit dehaḥ "body," dehī́ "wall, embankment," Oscan feíhúss (accusative plural) "walls." For a Germanic derivative from the same verbal base with a different sense, see dough.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing paradise

• bird of paradise
• fool's paradise
• grains of paradise
• in paradise

Rhymes for paradise

• imprecise
• sacrifice
• advice
• allspice
• concise
• device
• entice
• excise
• fordyce
• precise
• suffice
• dice

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

paradise

noun

par·​a·​dise ˈpar-ə-ˌdīs 

-ˌdīz

1

: eden sense 2

2

: heaven sense 2

3

: a place or state of great happiness

Etymology

Middle English paradis "the Garden of Eden," from early French paradis (same meaning), from Latin paradisus (same meaning), from Greek paradeisos "Garden of Eden," literally, "enclosed park"

Geographical Definition

Paradise

geographical name

Par·​a·​dise ˈper-ə-ˌdīs 

-ˌdīz, 

ˈpa-rə-

1

town in northern California north of Sacramento population 26,218

2

unincorporated population center just south of Las Vegas in southern Nevada population 223,167