Synonyms & Antonyms for verdant

Synonyms

Antonyms

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English speakers have been using "verdant" as a ripe synonym of "green" since the late 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naive people since the 1820s. (By contrast, the more experienced "green" has colored our language since well before the 12th century, and was first applied to inexperienced people in the 1540s.) "Verdant" is derived from the Old French word for "green," vert, which in turn is from Latin virērē, meaning "to be green." Today, "vert" is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation and the heraldic color green. Another descendant of "virere" is the adjective virescent, meaning "beginning to be green."

Examples of verdant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In Uganda, a verdant and landlocked East African nation, communities have in recent years suffered the consequences of adverse weather patterns. — New York Times, "Erased From a Davos Photo, a Ugandan Climate Activist Is Back in the Picture," 7 May 2021 Romantic balconies and loggias hang off the home, overlooking the verdant grounds with a 74-foot swimming pool, Japanese-style cedar soaking tub and pizza oven. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, "Vice’s Shane Smith sells compound for $48.67 million, a Palisades record," 20 Apr. 2021 The peaceful and expansive inner court, with its long pool and verdant plantings, is a signature space of the museum, but neither Frick nor his wife, Adelaide Childs, ever saw it. — Colin B. Bailey, The New York Review of Books, "Masterpieces Unmediated," 27 Apr. 2021 When leaves start to appear on trees and our lawns suddenly look verdant, our dinner plates call out for a little green, too. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Salad with green goddess dressing is a heavenly keeper," 27 Apr. 2021 Sprinkled through images of her posing in verdant settings, are photos of her working out with her personal trainer, doing sit-ups while dangling from a punching bag, or standing triumphantly after a boxing session. — Jihan Forbes, Allure, "How Halle Berry Avoids Getting Breakouts After Working Out," 22 Apr. 2021 Thanks to the Colorado River, which meanders through town, Cibola is a verdant oasis that chatters at dusk with swooping birds. — New York Times, "Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado’s Water," 3 Jan. 2021 Nestled in the northern Caribbean, Anguilla is a gorgeous under-the-radar gem boasting of plentiful coral reefs, verdant landscapes and over 30 pristine beaches. — Sandra Macgregor, Forbes, "Discover Why Anguilla’s Idyllic Off-Shore Islands Offer A Breathtaking Beach Escape," 9 Apr. 2021 Ben Mims graces us with some dishes fit for spring, such as the verdant spring pea salad with pistachio pipian and a sweet but tart strawberry and rhubarb crisp. — Amina Khan Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Coronavirus Today: A new resource for parenting through a pandemic," 2 Apr. 2021

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

History and Etymology for verdant

contracted from Middle French verdoyant, from present participle of verdoyer "to be green, turn green," going back to Old French verdoier, from verd, vert "green" (going back to Latin viridis, from a base *wir-, whence virēre "to show green growth, be green" of uncertain origin) + -oier, factitive verb suffix, going back to Latin -idiāre, originally representing variant pronunciation (or spelling variant) of -izāre -ize

Note: Latin viridis and virēre have been linked to Lithuanian visti "to multiply, breed," veisti "to breed, rear," as well as to Old English wīse "sprout, stalk," Old High German wisa "meadow," though the semantic connections are vague enough to make this a very tenuous hypothesis.

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