verdant

adjective

ver·​dant ˈvər-dᵊnt 

1

a

: green in tint or color

b

: green with growing plants

verdant fields

2

: unripe in experience or judgment : green sense 5a

verdancy

ˈvər-dᵊn(t)-sē 

noun

verdantly

ˈvər-dᵊnt-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

English speakers have been using verdant as a ripe synonym of green since at least the 16th century, and as a descriptive term for inexperienced or naïve people since the 19th century. (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 16th century.) Verdant comes from the Old French word for "green," vert, which itself is from Latin virēre, meaning "to show green growth" or "to be green." Today, vert is used in English as a word for green forest vegetation and the heraldic color green. A related word is virescent, meaning "beginning to be green."

Synonyms

• lush
• green
• grown
• leafy
• dense

Examples of verdant in a Sentence

a beautiful, verdant field

Recent Examples on the Web

Long renowned for its verdant landscapes and historic temples, the Indonesian island of Bali draws droves of tourists each year to surf and sunbathe along its sandy shores—but in recent years, this influx of international visitors has caused serious strain on its local communities. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Its private park, overlooking a verdant valley, was the work of French landscape artist Edouard André, who also designed the city park across the street. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 June 2025

As a bonus, the verdant flavor of the tomatoes mingles well with the botanical notes of the gin. —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 22 June 2025

But within just a couple of years, the banks were transformed into verdant corridors of grasses and shrubs. —Nick Oxford, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

verdant

adjective

ver·​dant ˈvərd-ᵊnt 

: green with growing plants

verdant fields

verdantly adverb