Definition of livid
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
From the M-W Editors
livid was our Word of the Day on 12/10/2015. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of livid in a Sentence
the boss was livid when yet another deadline was missed
her face was livid with fear
Recent Examples of livid from the Web
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Post-inauguration, Lawfare was the first to publish the blistering dissent, signed by a thousand livid State Department employees, against Trump’s travel ban.
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Talavera came off his line, got down and saved the chance, putting it out for a corner–but not before a livid Juan Carlos Osorio offered some choice words for his counterpart, Anthony Hudson.
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When Josh married his long-term girlfriend Paige O'Brien and didn't invite Drake to the wedding, fans (and Drake) were livid.
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The Grizzlies had the league's worst record and the best odds at the No. 1 pick but fell to fourth as West, then the Grizzlies' president of basketball operations, was left livid with the process.
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But in a strong signal of his thinking, a close Adelson confidant Morton Klein, the head of an organization heavily funded by Adelson, was livid.
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When the explosive three-part story was published in the spring of 1950, both McCall and the prosecutor, Jesse Hunter were livid.
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Popovich remains livid about the play that injured his star player, Kawhi Leonard, during the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals vs. the Warriors.
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Delivering the chicken soup Attorney Manning, livid at the judge's ruling, urged new Racing Division Director Rudy Casillas to reject the administrative-law verdict and deny Ron’s license.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'livid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Livid has a colorful history. The Latin adjective lividus means "dull, grayish, or leaden blue." From this came the French livide and eventually the English "livid," which was used to describe flesh discolored by a bruise when it was first recorded in the early 17th century. A slight extension of meaning gave it the sense "ashen or pallid," as used in describing a corpse. "Livid" eventually came to be used in this sense to characterize the complexion of a person pale with anger ("livid with rage"). From this meaning came two new senses in the 20th century. One was "reddish," as one is as likely to become red with anger as pale; the other was simply "angry" or "furious," the most common sense of the word today.
Origin and Etymology of livid
French livide, from Latin lividus, from livēre to be blue; akin to Welsh lliw color and probably to Russian sliva plum
LIVID Defined for English Language Learners
livid
playDefinition of livid for English Language Learners
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: very angry
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: having a dark purplish color
LIVID Defined for Kids
livid
playDefinition of livid for Students
1 : very angry
2 : pale as ashes Her face was livid with fear.
3 : discolored by bruising His cheek was livid.
Medical Dictionary
livid
playMedical Definition of livid
: discolored by bruising : black-and-blue
Learn More about livid
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for livid Spanish Central: Translation of livid Nglish: Translation of livid for Spanish speakers
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