blooming

[bloo-ming]

adjective

1. in bloom; flowering; blossoming.

2. glowing, as with youthful vigor and freshness.

   blooming cheeks.

3. flourishing; prospering.

   a blooming business.

4. Chiefly British Slang.,  (used as an intensifier).

   He's got his blooming nerve.

adverb

1. Chiefly British Slang.,  (used as an intensifier).

   not blooming likely.

blooming

/ ˈbluːmɪŋ /

adverb

1. informal,  (intensifier)

   a blooming genius

   blooming painful

Other Word Forms

• bloomingly adverb
• bloomingness noun
• nonblooming adjective
• preblooming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blooming¹

1350–1400; Middle English; bloom ¹, -ing ²; as intensifier, a euphemism for bloody, by phonetic similarity

Word History and Origins

Origin of blooming¹

C19: euphemistic for _bloody

Example Sentences

A blooming pink jasmine frames the porch, and a quick-growing Sierra fig tree they got from the city for free will soon provide shade and fruit at the northeast edge of the front yard.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Past a blooming gold medallion tree, and at the end of a path of spaced concrete tiles, there’s a shed with a seafoam-green door that houses the heart of his life’s work.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When I'm at my most vulnerable, scouring social media for support, I'm slapped in the face by targeted ads of babies giggling, pregnancy bumps blooming, happy families, reminding me of everything I've lost.

Read more on BBC

And then the music—tender, blooming, sentimental and unforgettable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I can also explain why, despite the snickers and stares and perpetually blooming bruises, it’s still worth it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• budding 
• flourishing