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

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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
  • Where the Tea Party was demanding a right-wing agenda for the nation, the DSA wants to dismantle America and rebuild it as a workers' utopia.
    — Nolan Finley The Detroit News, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Jäger compares the sounds of techno to the noise of Detroit’s industrial machinery—the music that drove the ersatz utopias of the late twentieth century is, in other words, merely a synthetic echo of a far more vital past.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of utopia
Noun
  • The Anderson Ranch Arts Center, a five-acre complex of studios and artist housing in Snowmass, Colorado, that offers workshops and residencies, is often called a maker’s paradise.
    — Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • South of Valencia along the Costa Blanca is Alicante, a walkable port city and an outdoor lover’s paradise with parks, gardens, and historic plazas unfold beneath the watchful eye of a 9th-century castle.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of paradise
Noun
  • This world’s heavens are lit with cosmic rays, its cityscapes otherworldly — everything seems to service an unabashed romanticism.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • And thanks to Tucson’s extraordinarily dark heavens, the Sonoran skyscape takes center stage with Peace Among the Stars.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of heaven

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shanghais
Shangri-la
Shangri-las
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Cite this Entry

“Shangri-la.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Shangri-la. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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