Paradise is a place of perfect happiness, beauty, and peace. The word originally described the Garden of Eden in the Bible, where Adam and Eve lived before they disobeyed God. Today, people use it to describe any place that feels wonderfully perfect.

When someone talks about a tropical paradise, they might mean a beautiful island with white sand beaches, clear blue water, and warm sunshine. A bookworm might call a huge library their paradise. A skier might describe fresh powder snow on a mountain as paradise. The word captures that feeling when everything around you seems exactly right.

People also use paradise to describe heaven, the place where many religions teach that good people go after they die. In literature, John Milton's famous poem Paradise Lost tells the story of how Satan was cast out of heaven and how Adam and Eve lost paradise.

When something is paradisiacal (pair-uh-dih-SY-uh-kul), it resembles or reminds you of paradise.