verdant

adjective

ver·dant | \ ˈvər-dᵊnt

Definition of verdant

1a : green in tint or color

b : green with growing plants verdant fields

2 : unripe in experience or judgment : green sense 9a

Other Words from verdant Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about verdant

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Synonyms & Antonyms for verdant

Synonyms

green, grown, leafy, lush, luxuriant, overgrown

Antonyms

barren, leafless

Did You Know?

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

The moss was faded and torn but sported a verdant hue - a possible sign of life. — Daniel Ackerman, Anchorage Daily News, "Ancient life awakens amid thawing ice caps and permafrost," 8 July 2019 The upper patio is more akin to a breezy gazebo, with rattan chairs and wall covers intermixed with verdant hanging vines. — Washington Post, "Forget the library: The best place to lose yourself in a book is one of these bars," 8 July 2019 The moss was faded and torn but sported a verdant hue — a possible sign of life. — Daniel Ackerman, BostonGlobe.com, "Ancient life awakens amid thawing ice caps and permafrost," 7 July 2019 Yellow Maggi packets and other plastic waste increasingly blight this verdant town in the foothills... — Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ, "India Saddles Consumer-Goods Makers With Fixing Plastic Trash Problem," 5 July 2019 Upstairs, a lofted office takes in views of the verdant grounds. — Jack Flemming, latimes.com, "Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham sells Brentwood compound for $28 million," 2 July 2019 The contrast between straitened Chittoor, at the mercy of its own local rains, and the verdant deltas could not be starker. — The Economist, "The South Asian monsoon, past, present and future," 27 June 2019 Wander through rooms and halls designed in part by the prince, and stroll the verdant grounds where Victoria erected several monuments. — National Geographic, "Scotland Private Expedition," 12 June 2019 Treehouses offer a new perspective on travel, tucked high into the canopy with verdant views. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "12 magical treehouses for your next vacation," 20 June 2019

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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