bilious

[ bil-yuhs ]

/ ˈbɪl yəs /

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adjective

Physiology, Pathology. pertaining to bile or to an excess secretion of bile.

Pathology. suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.

peevish; irritable; cranky.

extremely unpleasant or distasteful: a long scarf of bright, bilious green.

Nearby words

bilinear transformation, bilineate, bilingual, bilingual education, bilingualism, bilious, bilirachia, bilirubin, bilirubin encephalopathy, bilirubinemia, bilirubinoid

Origin of bilious

From the Latin word bīliōsus, dating back to 1535–45. See bile, -ous

SYNONYMS FOR bilious

3 grumpy, crabby, cross, grouchy, dyspeptic.

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Related forms

bil·ious·ly, adverbbil·ious·ness, nounnon·bil·ious, adjectivenon·bil·ious·ly, adverb

non·bil·ious·ness, nounun·bil·ious, adjectiveun·bil·ious·ly, adverbun·bil·ious·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bilious

When you show people real human beings, most people don't want to be dismissive and bilious.
Where Have These Political Minds Been for the Last Two Years?|Michael Tomasky|August 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I'd already drafted a bitter, bilious, bombastic broadside against the right-wing hacks on the Republican Court.
Paul Begala: Damn You, John Roberts, for Upholding Obamacare|Paul Begala|June 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
GOP is a mummy-wrapped skeleton sitting in its own chilly mausoleum of bilious resentments and creepy sentimentality.
GOP R.I.P.|John Batchelor|April 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In fact, the GOP is a mummy-wrapped skeleton sitting in its own chilly mausoleum of bilious resentments and creepy sentimentality.
GOP R.I.P.|John Batchelor|April 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST

This time his bilious green eye took the initiative, and set his bilious brown eye the example of recovered serenity.
No Name|Wilkie Collins
In India it is used in “bilious diseases” and to dissipate all sorts of tumors.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
I've put away so much of that sweet slush now that I'll be bilious for a week.
Torchy As A Pa|Sewell Ford
On an average, about 1/5 to 1/4 of the deaths annually occur from bilious remittent, congestive and typhus fever.
The South-West|Jonathon Holt Ingraham
There's a kind of imitation of art which isn't art at all,—a morbid, bilious, bad imitation.
Thelma|Marie Corelli

British Dictionary definitions for bilious

bilious

/ (ˈbɪlɪəs) /

adjective

of or relating to bile

affected with or denoting any disorder related to excess secretion of bile

informal (esp of colours) extremely distasteful; nauseatinga bilious green

informal bad-tempered; irritable

Derived Forms

biliousness, noun

Word Origin for bilious

C16: from Latin bīliōsus full of bile 1

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

Medicine definitions for bilious

bilious

[ bĭl′yəs ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or containing bile; biliary.

Characterized by an excess secretion of bile.

Relating to, characterized by, or experiencing gastric distress caused by a disorder of the liver or gallbladder.

bilious

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bilious

SYNONYMS FOR bilious

Related forms

Examples from the Web for bilious

British Dictionary definitions for bilious

bilious

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for bilious

Medicine definitions for bilious

bilious

adj.