idyll

or i·dyl

[ ahyd-l ]
See synonyms for idyll on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. 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.

  2. a brief or inconsequential romantic affair.

  3. Music. a composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character.

Origin of idyll

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin īdyllium from Greek eidýllion “short pastoral poem,” equivalent to eíd(os) “form” + -yllion diminutive suffix

Words that may be confused with idyll

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use idyll in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for idyll

idyll

sometimes US idyl

/ (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

  1. a charming or picturesque scene or event

  2. a piece of music with a calm or pastoral character

Origin of idyll

1
C17: from Latin īdyllium, from Greek eidullion, from eidos shape, (literary) form

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012