Prelapsarian

Technically, this refers to the time prior to the Original Sin – Adam and Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit. That was the “lapse,” and therefore we speak of the “pre-lapse.”

Colloquially, this means “before things got bad.” Something that is “prelapsarian” represents youthful bliss, ignorant of a darker future. Or perhaps, the moment before disaster strikes.

Merriam-Webster provides some examples:

The vision, which now seems distinctly prelapsarian, was of the Web as a bottom-up phenomenon, with no bosses, and no rewards other than the satisfaction of participating in successful innovation.

Why I Looked It Up

I made a joke on social media:

If only our lives could be as good as the people in the second half of prescription drug commercials.

A friend responded:

They do give off that prelapsarian vibe, don’t they?

It’s a little confusing, because the people in the second half of prescription drug commercials are not prelapsarian. I think maybe he was talking about the commercial itself?