fool's paradise
Happiness built on lies
A fool's paradise is a state of happiness based on false hopes or illusions—contentment that would vanish if the person understood their true situation.
Someone living in a fool's paradise doesn't realize the relationship is failing, the business is doomed, or the danger is real: He thought his job was secure, but he was living in a fool's paradise.
Misleading sensory impression
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
- false hopeUnfounded expectation of success
mirage · pipe dream · daydream · chimera · make-believe · fabrication · misconception · denial
Imagined perfect society
- fantasy worldFictional magical setting
- dreamlandSleep state with visions
- cloud nineState of extreme elation
- ivory towerSheltered intellectual enclave
la-la land · bubble · cocoon · retreat · never-never land · wonderland · castle in the air · head in the clouds
Freedom from wrongdoing
- gullibilityEase of being deceived
- credulityUncritical acceptance of claims
- trustingInclined to believe others
- childlikeHaving youthful innocence
unsophisticated · unworldly · idealistic · guileless · ingenuous · starry-eyed · wide-eyed · impressionable
Absence of knowledge
- unawareLacking knowledge of something
- obliviousLacking any awareness
- complacentUncritically self-satisfied
- contentedFeeling quietly fulfilled
carefree · happy · unconcerned · blithe · serene · comfortable · smug · satisfied
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
false hope · mirage · pipe dream · daydream · chimera · make-believe · fabrication · misconception · denial · rose-colored glasses
utopia
Imagined perfect society
- fantasy worldFictional magical setting
- dreamlandSleep state with visions
- cloud nineState of extreme elation
ivory tower · la-la land · bubble · cocoon · retreat · never-never land · wonderland · castle in the air · head in the clouds · flight of fancy
innocence
Freedom from wrongdoing
- gullibilityEase of being deceived
- credulityUncritical acceptance of claims
- trustingInclined to believe others
childlike · unsophisticated · unworldly · idealistic · guileless · ingenuous · starry-eyed · wide-eyed · impressionable · artless
ignorance
Absence of knowledge
- unawareLacking knowledge of something
- obliviousLacking any awareness
- complacentUncritically self-satisfied
contented · carefree · happy · unconcerned · blithe · serene · comfortable · smug · satisfied · untroubled
- fool's ___
- naivetygreenhorn, newbie, tenderfoot, raw recruit, born yesterday
- daydreamsdaydream, fantasy, reverie, dreaming, imagining
- deceptionslie, lies, lying, deceit, decoy
- imaginationimagination, daydreaming, daydreams, fantasies, fantasy
- Shakespeare phrasesto be or not to be, et tu Brute, all the world's a stage, out damned spot, friends Romans countrymen
fool's paradiseharsh reality
Uncomfortable actual circumstances
rude awakening · moment of truth · grim reality · painful truth · wake-up call
fool's paradiseclear-sightedness
Accurate perception of reality
lucidity · disenchantment · wisdom · enlightenment · self-awareness
fool's paradiseeyes wide open
State of full awareness
disillusionment · awakening · wisdom · clear sight · self-awareness
fool, foolish, paradise, fooled, fools, fooling, foolishness, foolishly, foolery