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dahlia

American  
[dal-yuh, dahl-, deyl-] / ˈdæl yə, ˈdɑl-, ˈdeɪl- /

noun

  1. any composite plant of the genus Dahlia, native to Mexico and Central America and widely cultivated for its showy, variously colored flower heads.

  2. the flower or tuberous root of a dahlia.

  3. a pale violet or amethyst color.

adjective

  1. of the color dahlia.

dahlia British  
/ ˈdeɪljə /

noun

  1. any herbaceous perennial plant of the Mexican genus Dahlia , having showy flowers and tuberous roots, esp any horticultural variety derived from D. pinnata : family Asteraceae (composites)

  2. the flower or root of any of these plants

"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

Etymology

Origin of dahlia

1791; < New Latin, named after Anders Dahl (died 1789), Swedish botanist; see -ia

Vocabulary lists containing dahlia

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick chats with former prosecutor Barbara McQuade about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s transparent desire for a promotion.

From Slate • May 7, 2026

Madiba Dennie, deputy editor and senior contributor at Balls and Strikes, joined Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick on this episode of Amicus to discuss the relationship between the two cases and the arguments that were on display.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Granada Hills 16, Taft 2: Dahlia Perez had a grand slam during a 15-run second inning.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Dahlia Lithwick: This is a speech that’s supposed to be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

When Dahlia stamps her hind foot, you know she’s really upset.

From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.