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

Now my wife is livid at my older daughter. —R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025

People in the palace were livid. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 10 Oct. 2025

Mets fans were livid, and New York sports radio legend Mike Francesa blasted the organization. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025

Which brings us to 10:40 p.m., when the woman in the seat behind me was getting livid, and then to 10:50 p.m., when fans broke into a loud chorus of boos, and then to 10:55 p.m., when there was yet another round of boos and groans. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 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

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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