lush

adjective \ ˈləsh \

Definition of lush

1 a :growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage

lush grass

b :lavishly productive: such as

(1) :fertile

lush farmland

(2) :thriving

the lush idealism of the prewar period
—F. B. Millett

(3) :characterized by abundance :plentiful

lush campaign contributions
—Fulton Lewis

(4) :prosperous, profitable

firms with lush contracts

2 a :savory, delicious

a lush apple pie

b :appealing to the senses

the lush sounds of the orchestra

c :opulent, sumptuous

lush accommodations

—

lushly

adverb

—

lushness

noun

See lush defined for English-language learners

See lush defined for kids

Examples of lush in a Sentence

The frequent rainfall encourages the lush growth of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
She always wanted to live on a lush Caribbean island.
The hills are lush with deep, thick grass.
a lush and fruity wine

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

The biblical Song of Solomon is a key scripture for the Zohar, and its lush gardens of desire are spiritualized into realms of sacred love, but without losing anything of their erotic passion.

— arthur green, The Atlantic, "Restoring Kabbalah to Mainstream Judaism," 25 Aug. 2017
Lying just south of the India-Nepal border, Gorakhpur is very lush, especially now, during the monsoon.

— jeffrey gettleman and hari kumar, New York Times, "The Night the Oxygen Ran Out in an Indian Hospital," 17 Aug. 2017
As Mercury stations retrograde in your house of badass bizness, you’re being asked to review the particulars while also feeling lush and adventurous.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes August Week 3," 11 Aug. 2017
There are countless rows of lush grape vines stretching over the hills to my left, and the scene to my right is pretty much identical.

— ashley mateo, Redbook, "Make Your Next Vacation a Runcation," 21 July 2017
The battle for Marawi, a mainly Muslim city of 200,000 with a lush lakeside setting and a proud sense of its culture, erupted when the government got word that Isnilon Hapilon was hiding there.

— The Economist, "Winning the war with IS in the Philippines, but losing the peace," 20 July 2017
The sliver-thin neighborhood is packed with low-rise apartments and gated residences and stretches from the Guaire River to the lush green mountain that separates Caracas from the Caribbean.

— andrew rosati, Bloomberg.com, "The Manhattan of Venezuela Parties Against a Backdrop of Crisis," 19 July 2017
Pizzas are multitudinous, but opt for the five-spice duck cannelloni instead: petite rolls that are at once lush and unadorned.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
In a way that individual shareholders would have trouble doing, larger investors can act swiftly to put a check on managers who might pursue goals that enrich themselves, such as wasteful mergers, excessive executive compensation, or lush perks.

— mihir a. desai, The Atlantic, "Capitalism the Apple Way vs. Capitalism the Google Way," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lush

Middle English lusch soft, tender

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

lush Synonyms

Synonyms

green, grown, leafy, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant

Antonyms

barren, leafless

Related Words

fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, productive, prolific, rich; dense, tangled

Near Antonyms

bleak, depleted, impoverished, infertile, poor, stark, unproductive; arid, dead, desert, dry, parched, sere (also sear), waterless

Synonym Discussion of lush

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance. profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

- profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

- a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

- prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

- a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

- a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

- an exuberant imagination

lush

noun

Definition of lush

1 slang :intoxicating liquor :drink

2 :a habitual heavy drinker :drunkard

See lush defined for English-language learners

Examples of lush in a Sentence

He's just an old lush.
she accused him of being a lush and a spendthrift

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

Any tips for creating a lush, or even tropical, garden?

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "Sprucing Up Your Garden for Summer, the Tropical Way," 2 July 2017
Even by the standards of his day, Sir John A. was quite a lush.

— jeff d. colgan, Washington Post, "Canada turns 150 today — and it’s enjoying a new global role," 1 July 2017
The Schoenberg sextet, an early work in a lush, late-Romantic vein, was written in the same decade as Brahms’s Op.

— thomas may, The Seattle Times, "The 2017 Seattle chamber-music fest promises a world premiere and lots of winds," 25 June 2017
For good measure, Sarah Silverman briefly pops up as Susan’s best friend and lovable lush, but then her character is quickly forgotten.

— michael o'sullivan, The Denver Post, "“The Book of Henry” is a misbegotten mish-mash of several different movies," 16 June 2017
For good measure, Sarah Silverman briefly pops up as Susan’s best friend and lovable lush, but then her character is quickly forgotten.

— michael o'sullivan, The Denver Post, "“The Book of Henry” is a misbegotten mish-mash of several different movies," 16 June 2017
Emily Michot emichot@miamiherald.com South Florida was once lush with wild orchids growing on oak and mahogany trees, but habitat loss and orchid poaching depleted the species into near oblivion.

— samantha j. gross, miamiherald, "Rare orchids are coming back to Miami Beach. 20,000 of them.," 16 June 2017
For good measure, Sarah Silverman briefly pops up as Susan’s best friend and lovable lush, but then her character is quickly forgotten.

— michael o’sullivan, kansascity.com, "‘The Book of Henry’ is a misbegotten mishmash of several movies," 15 June 2017
The elegant custom home is beautifully tucked into three-quarters of an acre in the heart of westside Fort Worth featuring a swimming pool, entertaining deck, guest house, pool bath and lush back yard.

— star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "Burt • Ladner Real Estate |Fort Worth," 11 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of lush

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1790

See Words from the same year

lush Synonyms

Synonyms

alcoholic, alkie (or alky) [slang], boozehound, boozer, dipsomaniac, drinker, drunkard, inebriate, juicehead [slang], juicer [slang], drunk, rummy, soak, soaker, sot, souse, tippler, toper, tosspot

Antonyms

nonintoxicant

Related Words

swigger, swiller; wino

Near Antonyms

abstainer, nondrinker, teetotaler (or teetotaller), teetotalist

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

lush

verb

Definition of lush

slang

:drink

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

CARLSBAD: Lush tropical landscaping, garden beds and a koi pond surround this four-bedroom home in the Olde Carlsbad area.

— neal j. leitereg, latimes.com, "What $900,000 buys right now in three San Diego County communities," 20 July 2017
Lush tropical fruit, unctuous and juicy, mingled with citrus, a touch of oak, vanilla and mouth-watering acidity.

— michael austin, chicagotribune.com, "Albarino: Your wine for about anything pulled from the sea," 17 May 2017

First Known Use of lush

circa 1811

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

LUSH Defined for English Language Learners

lush

adjective

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

: having a lot of full and healthy growth
: covered with healthy green plants
: having a pleasingly rich quality

lush

noun

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

: a person who is often drunk

LUSH Defined for Kids

lush

adjective \ ˈləsh \

Definition of lush for Students

lusher; lushest

1 :characterized by full and healthy growth

lush grass

2 :covered with a thick growth of healthy plants

a lush tropical island

3 :luxurious 1

a lush hotel lobby

—

lushly

adverb

—

lushness

noun

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lush

Definition of lush

Examples of lush in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of lush

lush Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

lush

Definition of lush

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First Known Use of lush

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

LUSH Defined for English Language Learners

lush

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

lush

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

LUSH Defined for Kids

lush

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lushly

lushness

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