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florid

[flawr-id, flor-]
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adjective
  1. reddish; ruddy; rosy: a florid complexion.
  2. flowery; excessively ornate; showy: florid writing.
  3. Obsolete. abounding in or consisting of flowers.
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Origin of florid

1635–45; < Latin flōridus, equivalent to flōr(ēre) to bloom (see florescence) + -idus -id4
Related formsflo·rid·i·ty [flaw-rid-i-tee, fluh-] /flɔˈrɪd ɪ ti, flə-/, flor·id·ness, nounflor·id·ly, adverbo·ver·flor·id, adjectiveo·ver·flor·id·ly, adverbo·ver·flor·id·ness, nounun·flor·id, adjective

Synonyms

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2. flamboyant, grandiloquent, rococo; flash, gaudy.

Antonyms

1. pale. 2. plain, simple, unaffected.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for florid

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • In the corridor we were joined by Peggy and the florid young man whom I had seen with her.

  • Her florid face was beaded with perspiration as a result of her efforts.

    The Law-Breakers

    Ridgwell Cullum

  • Laurent, who was tall and robust, with a florid complexion, astonished her.

    Therese Raquin

    Emile Zola

  • On his florid, dbonnair countenance was stamped his character of bon-viveur.

    The Suitors of Yvonne

    Raphael Sabatini

  • He was a corpulent, florid man, purse-proud, and self-sufficient.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for florid

florid

adjective
  1. having a red or flushed complexion
  2. excessively ornate; floweryflorid architecture
  3. an archaic word for flowery
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Derived Formsfloridity or floridness, nounfloridly, adverb

Word Origin

C17: from Latin flōridus blooming
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

Word Origin and History for florid

adj.

1640s, "strikingly beautiful," from French floride "flourishing," from Latin floridus "flowery, in bloom," from flos "flower" (see flora). Sense of "ruddy" is first recorded 1640s. Meaning "profusely adorned, as with flowers," is from 1650s. Related: Floridly.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
florid in Medicine

florid

(flôr′ĭd)
adj.
  1. Of a bright red or ruddy color. Used of certain skin lesions.
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Related formsflo•rid′i•ty (flə-rĭd′ĭ-tē, flô-) n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.