livid
having a discolored, bluish appearance caused by a bruise, congestion of blood vessels, strangulation, etc., as the face, flesh, hands, or nails.
dull blue; dark, grayish-blue.
Origin of livid
1word story For livid
In the early 18th century, English livid somehow developed the further senses “pale, deathly pale,” as from cold or in death, with no connotation of blueness. Then in the first half of the 19th century, livid came to mean “pale with rage or fury,” which is confusing because an angry person’s face can just as well be described as “purple with rage” or “red with fury.” Livid finally acquired the simple meaning “enraged, furiously angry” in the late 19th century.
Līvidus comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root slī- (suffixed form slī-wo- ) “bluish” as appears in Old English slāh (English sloe, as in sloe gin fizz, a drink that has never gone away). Slī-wo- appears in Slavic (Serbo-Croatian) šljiva “plum” (from its color), from which the pale fruit brandy šljivovica “slivovitz” is distilled.
Other words from livid
- liv·id·ly, adverb
- liv·id·ness, li·vid·i·ty [li-vid-i-tee], /lɪˈvɪd ɪ ti/, noun
Words Nearby livid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use livid in a sentence
The week after Rebecca Grant took away her kids’ video games for a month, after a year of relaxed pandemic rules, her 10-year-old son was livid.
After pandemic free-for-all, parents struggle to reinstate screen-time rules | Heather Kelly | June 24, 2021 | Washington PostMany faculty at UNC and others who admire the work of Hannah-Jones are livid at what they see as a failure to properly recognize an authoritative figure in the field of journalism, one with close ties to Chapel Hill.
The fact that they did this without giving us any warning, we were livid.
A huge explosion cracked house foundations in New Hampshire. An ‘extreme’ gender-reveal party was to blame. | Andrea Salcedo | April 23, 2021 | Washington PostMany who need medical care that depends on electricity are in dire conditions — and livid at how unprepared the state was for the ice and snow.
Texas is frozen and in crisis. A furniture store owner has emerged as a hero — again. | Cathy Free | February 18, 2021 | Washington PostShe thought about her research and was suddenly, absolutely livid.
Our Radicalized Republic | Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com) | January 25, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
But a group of livid fans—over 45,000 of them, actually—are still lobbying to “Bring Beth Back!”
‘The Walking Dead’ Fans Demand: Bring Back Beth! | Melissa Leon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile this will be some comfort to the Queen, she will likely still be livid at the news.
Opie is devastated, Anthony is unrepentant, and their fans are livid and seeking revenge.
He was “livid” because “I was better than most of the guys they were picking.”
Now, imagine a speech that had excited Democrats, that had had something surprising in it, something that made Republicans livid.
She pointed hastily to some livid bruises upon her neck and arms, and continued with great rapidity.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensFor a moment Colonel Jennison was too astonished to speak; then his face turned livid with passion.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnShe watched the colour fade from his cheeks, and the ugly, livid hue that spread in its room to his very lips.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniIt is pleasant to look at the smiling, cheerful old Beguine, and think no more of yonder livid face.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches | William Makepeace ThackerayCrushed by that bolt from the blue, Richard sat as if stunned, the flush receding from his face until his very lips were livid.
Mistress Wilding | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for livid
/ (ˈlɪvɪd) /
(of the skin) discoloured, as from a bruise or contusion
of a greyish tinge or colour: livid pink
informal angry or furious
Origin of livid
1Derived forms of livid
- lividly, adverb
- lividness or lividity, noun
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
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