never-never land

Definition of never-never landnext
as in utopia
an often imaginary place or state of utter perfection and happiness a depiction of Merry Old England that debunks the popular notion that it was ever some sort of never-never land

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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 never-never land Yet the extravagance that helped define E3’s never-never land feeling remained at full-tilt. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2023 Over the course of his career, Buffett earned their love by transforming himself into a kind of musical shaman who offered transport from the banalities of everyday life to the bounty of a never-never land of eternal sun, endless sandy beaches and bottomless boat drinks: Margaritaville. Drew M. Dalton, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2023 Pavelski was curling in from the left wing, outpaced his check, only to get clobbered to never-never land by Dumba. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Apr. 2023 Every chapter straddles the psychological never-never land between myth and science. Robert M. Thorson, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2022 Ownership of both is a must for the haves and a never-never land for the have-nots. Scott Burns, Dallas News, 9 Oct. 2020 Of course, this abject failure is nothing new in the never-never land of presidential debates. Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2020 But for ten days every June, when the Aspen Ideas Festival is in full swing, a technicolour fever dream descends and the campus becomes a corporate never-never land. The Economist, 11 Oct. 2019 Off to never-never land: Thousands drive, bike, walk and board packed trains to Metallica concert at Chase Center. Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, 9 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for never-never land
Noun
  • Initially a beachy utopia where the children run free among nature, things become increasingly savage as help appears to be ever further away.
    Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
  • Just about 60 years later, artists Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro—alongside a group of their students—brought one vision of feminist utopia into the real world.
    Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 3 May 2026
Noun
  • But their apparent domestic paradise was thrown into disarray when Betty began to suspect her husband was having an affair with his younger office assistant, Linda Kolkena.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
  • Mauritius looks like paradise to many—and its government can afford to be picky about the people who want to make the island their home.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • Warnings, laments, and odes to renewal were expressed pictorially as dying days under bleeding heavens, belching volcanoes, proud icebergs, lavish rainbows amid spangling, mist-suffusing sunlight and dawns of peace and hope.
    Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • Gaga and Doechii, a match made in fashion heaven, and two style students who clearly did their homework for this assignment.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In fact, at one time any man who signed up for the Continental Army was promised land that rightfully belonged to Native Americans.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
  • The proposals — presented by Preston North End chief executive Peter Ridsdale to a meeting of Championship chief executives last week — received widespread backing, as clubs sensed the door to the Premier League’s promised land creaking open a little wider.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Never-never land.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/never-never%20land. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

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