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 livēre, "to be blue," gave rise to Latin lividus, meaning "discolored by bruising." French adopted the word along with its meaning as livide, which English borrowed in the 15th century as livid. For a few centuries the English word described bruised flesh as well as a shade of dark gray and other colors having a dark grayish tone. By the 18th century people were livid, first by being pale with extreme emotion ("a pale, lean, livid face" —Henry James), and then by being reddish with the same ("His face glared with a livid red." —James Francis Barrett). By the late 19th century a livid person could also be furiously angry, which is the word's typical application today.

Synonyms

• angry
• enraged
• outraged
• infuriated
• indignant
• angered
• furious
• mad
• ballistic
• infuriate

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

Employees were distraught over cuts and layoffs, while the company's franchised retailers were livid about Stellantis' sales and market share losses under Tavares. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 23 June 2025

Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest of the heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind could make an Eden. —Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 June 2025

For example, O’Brien sounded livid with City Hall for quietly agreeing to remove popular beachside basketball courts to make room for a real estate developer’s preference for pickleball. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2025

Yesterday, Subramanian was livid and rebuked the prosecution and defense over an online article that appeared to include details from a sealed proceeding. —Nbc News, NBC news, 18 June 2025

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

Rhymes for livid

• vivid

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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