livid

adjective

liv·​id ˈli-vəd 

1

: discolored by bruising : black-and-blue

the livid traces of the sharp scourges

—Abraham Cowley

2

: ashen, pallid

this cross, thy livid face, thy pierced hands and feet

—Walt Whitman

3

: reddish

a fan of gladiolas blushed livid under the electric letters

—Truman Capote

4

: very angry : enraged

was livid at his son's disobedience

lividness

ˈli-vəd-nəs 

noun

Did you know?

Livid has a colorful history. The Latin adjective lividus means "dull, grayish, or leaden blue." From this came the French livide, which English borrowed as livid. The word can describe flesh discolored by a bruise or an appearance deficient in color. Eventually, it came to be used for the complexion of a person pale with anger (i.e., "a person livid with rage"). From this meaning came two new senses: "reddish," as one is as likely to become red with anger as pale; the other was simply "angry" or "furious."

Synonyms

• angered
• angry
• apoplectic
• ballistic
• cheesed off [chiefly British]
• choleric
• enraged
• foaming
• fuming
• furious
• hopping
• horn-mad
• hot
• incensed
• indignant
• inflamed
• enflamed
• infuriate
• infuriated
• irate
• ireful
• mad
• outraged
• rabid
• rankled
• riled
• riley
• roiled
• shirty [chiefly British]
• sore
• steamed up
• steaming
• teed off
• ticked
• wrathful
• wroth

Examples of livid in a Sentence

the boss was livid when yet another deadline was missed

her face was livid with fear

Recent Examples on the Web

His wife, Nicki, is livid, having warned him from the very beginning. —Maria Abi-Habib, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024

Luis Suárez goal: Al Hilal 2, Inter Miami 1 Luis Suárez was livid at the referee. —Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024

But her former work bestie Marjorie Taylor Greene is absolutely livid. —Tori Otten, The New Republic, 21 June 2023

Several people close to him described him as livid about the trial. —Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023

Chester County residents attending a town hall Wednesday night were still livid about the recent escapes. —David K. Li, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023

Republicans are livid over the deal and have accused the Justice Department of blocking the probe. —Tori Otten, The New Republic, 19 July 2023

His mother was livid; his father, who had left school at age fourteen, didn’t care. —John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024

Ebert, who happened to be in the audience, was livid. —Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French livide, from Latin lividus, from livēre to be blue; akin to Welsh lliw color and probably to Russian sliva plum

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

livid

adjective

liv·​id ˈliv-əd 

1

: discolored by bruising

2

: pale as ashes

3

: very angry

lividly adverb

Medical Definition

livid

adjective

liv·​id ˈliv-əd 

: discolored by bruising : black-and-blue