idyll

or i·dyl

[ ahyd-l ]

noun

1. a delightful, tranquil rural scene or episode, reminiscent of or suitable for pastoral art or literature:

   A great many horror movies are set in a suburban idyll.

2. a short descriptive or narrative poem or prose work, depicting a pleasant, tranquil, idealized pastoral scene or event, or any charmingly simple episode in literature.
3. A long narrative poem on a major theme, but less elevated and formal in subject matter, language, and tone than an epic:

   Tennyson's Idylls of the King is an elegaic retelling of Arthurian legend.

4. a brief or inconsequential romantic affair.
5. Music. a composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character.

idyll

/ ˈɪdɪl /

noun

1. a poem or prose work describing an idealized rural life, pastoral scenes, etc
2. any simple narrative or descriptive piece in poetry or prose
3. a charming or picturesque scene or event
4. a piece of music with a calm or pastoral character

Word History and Origins

Origin of idyll¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin īdyllium from Greek eidýllion “short pastoral poem,” equivalent to eíd(os) “form” + -yllion diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of idyll¹

C17: from Latin īdyllium, from Greek eidullion, from eidos shape, (literary) form

Example Sentences

But this idyll is under threat as the seawater levels continue to rise.

From BBC

Full of snappy and snappish dialogue, the book imagines a carnival-esque week’s idyll in the “shantytown of millionaires” that was 1950s Malibu.

From Los Angeles Times

At the diner where Fernán works for $99 a month, he overhears patrons worrying about the Black and Puerto Rican families moving into their white idyll.

From New York Times

Within a year of its construction, this prehistoric idyll met a dramatic end.

From New York Times

But by the 2000s, demographic change was afoot as racial attitudes shifted and people of all kinds sought the same suburban idyll.

From New York Times

Related Words

• breathing space
• lull
• respite