nirvana

[ nir-vah-nuh, -van-uh, ner- ]

noun

1. (often initial capital letter) Pali nibbana. Buddhism. freedom from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations, with their consequent suffering, as a result of the extinction of individual passion, hatred, and delusion: attained by the Arhat as his goal but postponed by the Bodhisattva.
2. (often initial capital letter) Hinduism. salvation through the union of Atman with Brahma; moksha.
3. a place or state characterized by freedom from or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world.

nirvana

/ nɜː-; nɪəˈvɑːnə /

noun

1. Buddhism Hinduism final release from the cycle of reincarnation attained by extinction of all desires and individual existence, culminating (in Buddhism) in absolute blessedness, or (in Hinduism) in absorption into Brahman

nirvana

1. In Buddhism , the highest state of consciousness, in which the soul is freed from all desires and attachments. Nirvana is sometimes inaccurately used as a synonym for heaven or paradise .

Derived Forms

• nirˈvanic, adjective

Other Words From

• nir·vanic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nirvana¹

First recorded in 1830–40, nirvana is from the Sanskrit word nirvāṇa

Word History and Origins

Origin of nirvana¹

C19: from Sanskrit: extinction, literally: a blowing out, from nir- out + vāti it blows

Example Sentences

They talk about a young teenager who had a love of fashion, was into Nirvana and the Prodigy and was keen to go to university.

From BBC

The Grammys sweep inspired some backlash from folks who objected to the celebration of this old-fashioned music in the year of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and Ice Cube’s “Death Certificate.”

From Los Angeles Times

The abrasive riffs and intertwining harmonies of songs like Debaser, Monkey Gone To Heaven, and Where Is My Mind signposted the future of alternative rock in the late 1980s; and they were cited as inspirations by everyone from Nirvana and Radiohead to... er, James Blunt.

From BBC

In a year where production-line projects from Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez have failed to connect, she believes the charts are on the cusp of a “Nirvana moment”, where the old guard are swept away by new, authentic voices.

From BBC

Even a few extra inches of room would get me closer to the sartorial nirvana I was chasing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• heaven