nirvana

Complete cessation of dukkha; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.

Noun

  1. Complete cessation of dukkha; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.

    Synonyms: nibbana

  2. State of paradise; heightened or great pleasure or peace; a state of universal perfection and bliss.
    • Welcome to this celebration of legal abortion. I wish January 22 meant more than that. The truth is that we are not winging our way to a state of nirvana for reproductive rights. - 1988 February 7, Stephanie Poggi,...
    • Though we don’t all reach nirvana when we swim, swimming may well be that last refuge from connectivity — and, for some, the only way to find the solitary self. - 2014 February 14, Bonnie Tsui, “The Self-Reflecting...
    • No, Virginia, the combination of Trump’s tax cuts and tariffs don’t help and, yes, when the AI investment bubble pops GDP growth will drop making the deficit/GDP ratio worse, unless you believe the tech bros hype about...

Origin

Borrowed from Sanskrit निर्वाण (nirvāṇa, “blown or put out, extinguished”), from निस् (nis, “out”) + वा (vā, “to blow”), the second part cognate with Russian ве́тер (véter, “wind”), weather, vent and wind.

Forms

nirvanas

Derived

Beervana goonvana nerdvana nirvana fallacy nirvanic nirvanol parinirvana