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idyllic

idyllic

23 6.6
A very pleasant, peaceful place or time that seems perfect
  • adjective
  • /aɪˈdɪlɪk/
translation icon : idílico
  • It's an idyllic place to grow up, surrounded by nature and peace.
  • idyllic landscape
  • idyllic past
  • idyllic scene

But this town is not as idyllic as one would think.

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Examples

  • But this is a very idyllic part of the world, right?

  • An idyllic seaside community known all over the world.

  • This could not be more idyllic right now.

  • And so I was living in a quiet, idyllic life.

  • It's an idyllic place to grow up.

  • Walker looks out over the water and sees a small, idyllic town in the sunlight.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • We went to a farmhouse in Devon, which was idyllic, but everyone else was working.

  • The idyllic Caribbean island of Montserrat

  • The valley of tall trees, ravines, and streams is idyllic in front of them.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Bishop's Lodge is located in the idyllic Tesuque Valley, five minutes north of Santa Fe.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

scenic
vsidyllic
41 3.4

Having beautiful natural views like mountains or the coast

covers peaceful and ideal qualities beyond just natural views
picturesque
vsidyllic
23 5.3

Having a very pretty, charming look like a scene for a painting

highlights general pleasantness and peace, not only visual attractiveness
bucolic
vsidyllic
  • Literature
9 8.6

Having the quiet, pleasant feel of the countryside

applies generally, not limited to countryside or rural scenes
elysian
vsidyllic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Very beautiful and peaceful like heaven

focuses on calm, peaceful beauty rather than explicitly heavenly feeling
paradisiacal
vsidyllic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Very beautiful and peaceful, like a perfect garden or island

is more general, meaning extremely pleasant rather than explicitly paradise-like
paradisaic
vsidyllic
  • Literature
9.9

A place that is very beautiful and peaceful, like a perfect garden

is the broader term for idealized pleasantness rather than religious imagery

Antonyms

215 1.0

Not nice and causing discomfort or unhappiness

116 4.7

Not organized and full of confusion

How Pleasant

heavenly
29 3.4
idyllic
23 6.6
picturesque
23 5.3
lovely
1.0
pleasant
314 1.0
nice
1.0

Surface Forms

idyllic positive

Morphology

idyllic = idyll (semi-transparent) = idyll + ic

The adjective is formed by adding the productive suffix '-ic' to 'idyll' and the meanings align, but 'idyll' is literary/less familiar so the relation may not be obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Idyllic comes from the Greek word eidyllion, which meant a 'little picture' or a 'short poem' about simple country life, and from the English word idyll for that calm poem. So when something is called idyllic, it feels like a perfect, peaceful picture or time.