adjective
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of or relating to bile
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affected with or denoting any disorder related to excess secretion of bile
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informal (esp of colours) extremely distasteful; nauseating
a bilious green
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informal bad-tempered; irritable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bilious
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin bīliōsus; see origin at bile, -ous
Explanation
If an unpleasant meal has left you feeling grumpy and looking green, you're bilious in several senses of the word. This adjective can mean both "troubled by indigestion" and "irritable," and it can also be used to suggest a sickly green shade. The wonderfully descriptive word bilious comes from the root bile, which is a foul green fluid made in the liver and stored in the gall bladder — a fact that helps us picture something described as bilious as being really foul. Because of the connection with bile, we often refer to something that's an ugly shade of green as being bilious. Of course, the word can also be more kindly applied to someone who has a liver or gall bladder disorder.
Vocabulary lists containing bilious
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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.
Mr. McMullan is an effective antidote to the more bilious goings on—the acting is much more flamboyant in the Atticus story than in Susan’s, which is less entertaining than distracting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The canvas, 5 feet square, imposes the sentiment in a stack of crisp white words over snow-covered mountain scenery, the sky a sallow yellow fading upward into bilious green.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
The high jinks and lowdown deeds that ensue in “The Menu” are sure to remind viewers of “The Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Ostlund’s similarly bilious takedown of the rich and fatuous.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2022
The plant grew to shrublike proportions and, for more months of the year than not, was adorned with slightly bilious Pepto-pink flowers.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2022
I had forgotten my earlier fright; it came back in a sick, bilious wash.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
