limpid
Americanadjective
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clear, transparent, or pellucid, as water, crystal, or air.
We could see to the very bottom of the limpid pond.
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free from obscurity; lucid; clear.
a limpid style; limpid prose.
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completely calm; without distress or worry.
a limpid, emotionless existence.
adjective
-
clear or transparent
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(esp of writings, style, etc) free from obscurity
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calm; peaceful
Other Word Forms
- limpidity noun
- limpidly adverb
- limpidness noun
Etymology
Origin of limpid
First recorded in 1605–15, limpid is from the Latin word limpidus clear. See lymph, -id 4
Explanation
The adjective limpid describes something (often liquid) that is clear, serene and bright. Nature calendars often feature glamour shots of a limpid stream or a limpid lake. The adjective limpid may also describe language that is easily understandable. Your teacher might ask you to give an answer in a single limpid sentence. But he probably won't because limpid is a word that's fallen out of use. Maybe because it sounds too much like limp. Or maybe because it's associated with the king of all clichés: "Her eyes were like limpid pools."
Vocabulary lists containing limpid
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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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.
Ms. Oropesa’s limpid, flexible soprano brought a heart-tugging vulnerability to Elvira, and her pealing coloratura was both accurate and expressive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
The mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano was a mettlesome Meg, and as Nannetta, Hera Hyesang Park revealed a soprano as limpid as fresh water, even if a few top notes sounded hard and unsteady.
From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2023
His closing “Ave verum corpus” — a limpid and lucid transcription for solo piano by Franz Liszt — was among the finest single performances I’ve heard all year.
From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2022
“Go for Qatar, go for Qatar!” he pleaded as he unleashed his bird into the limpid desert air.
From Washington Times • Nov. 19, 2022
Black prow by prow those hulls were made fast in a limpid calm without a ripple, stillness all around them.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions 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.
