limpid

1 of 2

adjective

lim·​pid ˈlim-pəd 

1

a

: marked by transparency (see transparent sense 1) : pellucid

limpid streams

b

: clear and simple in style

limpid prose

2

: absolutely serene and untroubled

… the benign effects of a limpid childhood …

—Time

limpidity

lim-ˈpi-də-tē 

noun

limpidly

ˈlim-pəd-lē 

adverb

limpidness noun

limpidity

2 of 2

noun

lim·​pid·​i·​ty limˈpidətē 

-ətē, 

-i

plural -es

: the quality or state of being limpid

its marvelous simplicity and limpidity, its ruthless abstinence from the pleasures of mere rhetoric

—Irving Kristol

Did you know?

Let's clarify a few things about limpid. Since the early 1600s, this word has been used in English to describe things that have the soft clearness of pure water. The aquatic connection is not incidental; language scholars believe that limpid probably traces to lympha, a Latin word meaning "water." (That same Latin root is also the source of the English word lymph, the term for the pale liquid that helps maintain the body's fluid balance and that removes bacteria from tissues.) While limpid was used originally to describe liquids free of visible, cloudy material, it didn't take long for the word to gain its figurative sense of "clear and simple in style." And despite its similarity to the unrelated adjective limp—which can be used to describe writing, for example, that lacks spirit or oomph—limpid carries no such negative connotations.

Synonyms of limpid

Adjective

• crystal
• transparent
• clear
• liquid
• crystalline
• pellucid

Choose the Right Synonym for limpid

clear, transparent, translucent, limpid mean capable of being seen through.

clear implies absence of cloudiness, haziness, or muddiness.

clear water

transparent implies being so clear that objects can be seen distinctly.

a transparent sheet of film

translucent implies the passage of light but not a clear view of what lies beyond.

translucent frosted glass

limpid suggests the soft clearness of pure water.

her eyes were limpid pools of blue

Examples of limpid in a Sentence

Adjective

the limpid waters of the stream

her eyes are the blue of a limpid stream of water

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The magic act of Okri’s writing is his ability to maintain ambiguity while always keeping his language limpid and direct. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026

Mostly, however, Gee’s sophisticated, stealthily moving film folds any bursts of emotion into its exquisitely dark shadows, letting Evans’ limpid but heartsore music do most of the weeping. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026

The music underneath it all is limpid and watery, almost puddle-like. —Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026

Howard’s book—meticulous, limpid, elegant, and historically alert, a literary biography more than a life—touches on most of these people. —Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

French or Latin; French limpide, from Latin limpidus, perhaps from lympha water — more at lymph

Noun

Late Latin limpiditat-, limpiditas, from Latin limpidus + -itat-, -itas -ity

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

limpid

adjective

lim·​pid ˈlim-pəd 

: perfectly clear : transparent

limpid streams

limpidity

lim-ˈpid-ət-ē 

noun

limpidly

ˈlim-pəd-lē 

adverb

limpidness noun