vivid
Americanadjective
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strikingly bright or intense, as color, light, etc..
a vivid green.
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full of life; lively; animated.
a vivid personality.
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presenting the appearance, freshness, spirit, etc., of life; realistic.
a vivid account.
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strong, distinct, or clearly perceptible.
a vivid recollection.
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forming distinct and striking mental images.
a vivid imagination.
adjective
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(of a colour) very bright; having a very high saturation or purity; produced by a pure or almost pure colouring agent
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brilliantly coloured
vivid plumage
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conveying to the mind striking realism, freshness, or trueness to life; graphic
a vivid account
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(of a recollection, memory, etc) remaining distinct in the mind
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(of the imagination, etc) prolific in the formation of lifelike images
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making a powerful impact on the emotions or senses
a vivid feeling of shame
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uttered, operating, or acting with vigour
vivid expostulations
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full of life or vitality
a vivid personality
Synonym Usage
See picturesque.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vivid
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin vīvidus “lively,” equivalent to vīv(ere) “to live” + -idus adjective suffix; see vital, -id 4
Explanation
Vivid is an adjective that describes a bold and bright color, an intense feeling, or an image in your mind that is so clear you can almost touch it. Sometimes you have a vivid dream that feels so real that even when you wake up, you can’t tell if the dream is really over. In that dream, perhaps there were flowers with deep, rich, and vivid colors that looked like they were painted. Vivid comes from the Latin vivere, which means “to live,” and vivid memories do seem to live on.
Vocabulary lists containing vivid
"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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Achievement First 8th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
Against the unusually golden corona, the vivid pink structure made an already rare eclipse scene even more striking.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Guayaramerin, a town of 40,000 people with dusty streets of red earth that contrast sharply with the vivid green of the jungle, survives off trade with Brazil.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
A brief mention of a pizza-spinning girlfriend is tossed off immediately after, replaced by vivid stories about his first summer working at the real-life Flagship, given the pseudonym The Dreadnaught.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The music on the new record is vivid in its storytelling and unapologetically emotional, lyrical and expressive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
But Isaac provided one vivid memory of her.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
