Words of Positivity
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Paradise

n.joyful, calmwarm

What it means

A place or condition experienced as exceptionally peaceful and delightful.

Reach for it when describing an ideal refuge, setting, or state of happiness

For the tired cyclists, the shaded orchard felt like paradise.

Choose between these

6
  • everyday

    heaven

    when bliss is expressed through familiar exaggeration

    not when Heaven has religious meanings and may be inappropriate in secular or interfaith contexts.

  • everyday

    retreat

    when a temporary place for rest is intended

    not when A retreat can be useful without being idyllic.

  • warm

    haven

    when safety and refuge are more important than pleasure

    not when A haven can be plain and protective rather than blissfully beautiful.

  • professional

    sanctuary

    when protection from harm is the defining quality

    not when Sanctuary foregrounds security, not complete pleasure.

  • formal

    utopia

    when an ideal society or system is being imagined

    not when Utopia often carries political or impossible perfection that paradise does not require.

  • literary

    Eden

    when untouched natural abundance is the image

    not when Eden invokes a specific biblical story rather than any delightful place.

Said against

3
  • hell
  • wasteland
  • misery

It naturally appears in

3
  • tropical paradise

    The restored mangroves made the bay a tropical paradise for nesting birds.

  • a little paradise

    A little paradise grew behind the flats as neighbors planted herbs and fruit trees.

  • paradise for hikers

    Paradise for hikers begins where the marked trail reaches the high meadow.

Where this comes from

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.