turgid

adjective

tur·​gid ˈtər-jəd How to pronounce turgid (audio)
1
: excessively embellished in style or language : bombastic, pompous
turgid prose
2
: being in a state of distension : swollen, tumid
turgid limbs
especially : exhibiting turgor
turgidity noun
turgidly adverb
turgidness noun

Examples of turgid in a Sentence

turgid leeches having had their fill of blood
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Only one Test has resulted in a draw since Stokes and McCullum joined forces on the back of a particularly turgid period during which England had won only one game in 17 under a far more conservative management duo of skipper Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood. Paul Newman, New York Times, 12 July 2025 That was one of the weaknesses of Bryan Singer’s joyless and swiftly forgotten 2006 effort, Superman Returns, while by contrast, distancing itself so strenuously from the Donner model was the fatal flaw of Zack Snyder’s turgid Man of Steel in 2013, though that doom-and-gloom saga has its champions. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025 After a frigid, turgid April (.147 average), everything’s starting to come to life again for one of the good dudes in the game. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 June 2025 Before getting sunk by a turgid love story — the kind of cinematic dead zone Thalberg would have blue-penciled in the screenplay stage — The Last Tycoon provides a good sense of what a producer actually does. Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for turgid

Word History

Etymology

Latin turgidus, from turgēre to be swollen

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of turgid was in 1620

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Turgid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turgid. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

turgid

adjective
tur·​gid ˈtər-jəd How to pronounce turgid (audio)
1
: being in a swollen state
2
: exhibiting turgor
a turgid plant cell

Medical Definition

turgid

adjective
tur·​gid ˈtər-jəd How to pronounce turgid (audio)
: being in a normal or abnormal state of distension : swollen, tumid
turgid limbs
turgid living cells

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