Meanings
- uncountableAn alleged transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, France, resulting from shock at their discovery that Paris is not what they had expected it to be.
Paris Syndrome affects around 20 tourists a year, mostly Japanese, for some reason.
2010 March 26, Philip Hensher, “Parisians by Graham Robb: review”, in Telegraph.co.uk2 more examples
Moreover, his fantasy and idealization of Paris, characteristic of Paris syndrome, played a great part in his abnormal behaviors searching for his lost youth and love affaire.^([sic])
1998, Katada Tamami, “Reflexions on a case of Paris syndrome”, in Journal of the Nissei Hospital, volume 26, number 2, →ISSN, archived from the original on 30 Oct 2013The Paris syndrome apparently affects only the Japanese and only when visiting Paris; women in their early thirties on their first international trip are particularly prone to the affliction.
2008, Barbara Mennel, “The city of love: Paris”, in Cities and Cinema, Routledge, →ISBN, The Paris syndrome, or the city of love, page 62
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 巴黎綜合症 /巴黎综合症
- 巴黎綜合症 /巴黎综合症 (Bālí zōnghézhèng)psychological disorder
Finnish Pariisin syndrooma
- Pariisin syndroomapsychological disorder
French syndrome de Paris
- syndrome de Parispsychological disorder
Italian sindrome di Parisi
- sindrome di Parisipsychological disorder
Japanese パリ症候群
- パリ症候群 (Pari shōkōgun)psychological disorder
Polish syndrom paryski
- syndrom paryskipsychological disorder
Swedish Parissyndrom
- Parissyndrompsychological disorder
Cite this entry
Paris syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paris%20syndrome
“Paris syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paris%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Paris syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paris%20syndrome.
Source: Paris syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.