florid

adjective

flor·​id ˈflȯr-əd 

ˈflär-

1

a

: very flowery in style : ornate

florid prose

florid declamations

also : having a florid style

a florid writer

b

: elaborately decorated

a florid interior

c

obsolete : covered with flowers

2

a

: tinged with red : ruddy

a florid complexion

b

: marked by emotional or sexual fervor

a florid secret life

a florid sensibility

3

: fully developed : manifesting a complete and typical clinical syndrome

the florid stage of a disease

4

archaic : healthy

floridity

flə-ˈri-də-tē 

flȯ-

noun

floridly

ˈflȯr-əd-lē 

ˈflär-

adverb

floridness

ˈflȯr-əd-nəs 

ˈflär-

noun

Did you know?

When it first entered English "florid" was used with the literal meaning "covered with flowers." That use, though now obsolete, hints at the word's history. English speakers borrowed "florid" from the Latin adjective floridus ("blooming" or "flowery"), itself from the verb "florēre" ("to bloom"). "Florēre," which in turn comes from a Latin root meaning "flower," is also an ancestor of the words "flourish" and "florescence" ("a state or period of flourishing"). These days, "florid" can refer to an overblown style in speech, writing, or decoration. As such, its synonyms include "ornate," "rococo," and "overwrought."

Synonyms

• bedizened
• fussy
• gingerbread
• gingerbreaded
• gingerbready
• ornate
• overdecorated
• overwrought

Examples of florid in a Sentence

a florid, gilded mirror that took up most of the wall

gave a florid speech in honor of the queen's visit

Recent Examples on the Web

Hoffman has done a marvelous job of reading through Aimee’s voluminous, florid writings and creating a narrative that works for the modern ear. —Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025

Set against the tumultuous cultural backdrop of Brazil, the album’s florid, psychedelic soul chronicles the relationship between a darker-skinned Black man and a lighter-skinned Black woman. —Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025

In its first two episodes, The Studio doesn’t (yet) have the ear for florid profanity that Veep did. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025

In its first two episodes, The Studio doesn’t (yet) have the ear for florid profanity that Veep did. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin flōridus "abounding in flowers, brightly colored, in the bloom of youth, highly colored (of rhetoric)," adjective derivative, with the suffix -idus, corresponding to flōrēre "to bloom" — more at florescence

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Rhymes for florid

• horrid
• torrid

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Kids Definition

florid

adjective

flor·​id ˈflȯr-əd 

ˈflär-

1

: flowery sense 2, ornate

florid writing

2

: tinged with red : ruddy

a florid complexion

floridly adverb

Etymology

from Latin floridus "blooming, flowery," from florēre "to blossom, flourish," from flor-, flos "a flower, blossom" — related to flour, flourish, flower

Medical Definition

florid

adjective

flor·​id ˈflȯr-əd, ˈflär- 

: fully developed : manifesting a complete and typical clinical syndrome

florid hyperplasia

floridly adverb