bilious

[ bil-yuhs ]

/ ˈbɪl yəs /

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See synonyms for: bilious / biliousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

Pathology. having, 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR bilious

3 grumpy, crabby, cross, grouchy, dyspeptic.

See synonyms for bilious on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of bilious

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin bīliōsus; see origin at bile, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM bilious

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

Words nearby bilious

bilinear transformation, bilineate, bilingual, bilingual education, bilingualism, bilious, bilirubin, biliteral, biliterate, bilith, biliverdin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bilious in a sentence

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

I can't say that I appreciate green shadows under the eyes, nor do I see anything poetic in a bilious air.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume III (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Malta Fever, or bilious remittent fever, is found in some of the islands taken from Spain.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
A Derangement in my stomach which seemed of the bilious kind determined me to return to town in search of advice.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
He had recently brought Cattledon out of a bilious attack, and ran in this evening to see whether the cure lasted.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
If you could be hard-hearted enough to win H. from this bilious beverage, would it not be worth the perils?
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 97, November, 1865|Various

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 of bilious

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

bilious

OTHER WORDS FOR bilious

Origin of bilious

OTHER WORDS FROM bilious

Words nearby bilious

Words related to bilious

How to use bilious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bilious

Derived forms of bilious

Word Origin for bilious