1
: discolored by bruising : black-and-blue
the livid traces of the sharp scourges—
Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley3
: reddish
a fan of gladiolas blushed livid under the electric letters—Truman Capote
Truman Capote4
: very angry : enraged
was livid at his son's disobedience
Did you know?
Livid has a colorful history. The Latin adjective lividus means "dull, grayish, or leaden blue." From this came the French livide, which English borrowed as livid. The word can describe flesh discolored by a bruise or an appearance deficient in color. Eventually, it came to be used for the complexion of a person pale with anger (i.e., "a person livid with rage"). From this meaning came two new senses: "reddish," as one is as likely to become red with anger as pale; the other was simply "angry" or "furious."
Synonyms
- angered
- angry
- apoplectic
- ballistic
- cheesed off [chiefly British]
- choleric
- enraged
- foaming
- fuming
- furious
- hopping
- horn-mad
- hot
- incensed
- indignant
- inflamed
- enflamed
- infuriate
- infuriated
- irate
- ireful
- mad
- outraged
- rabid
- rankled
- riled
- riley
- roiled
- shirty [chiefly British]
- sore
- steamed up
- steaming
- teed off
- ticked
- wrathful
- wroth
Examples of livid in a Sentence
the boss was livid when yet another deadline was missed
her face was livid with fear
Recent Examples on the Web
Although Trump claims not to have heard the joke and his campaign has disavowed it, many Puerto Rican voters, including a healthy crop of public figures, are livid over the slur and the lack of a direct apology from Trump.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 30 Oct. 2024
Nikki, who is inside Brooke's body, becomes livid — desperate to return to her life as a social media influencer.
—Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
His mother is absolutely livid with me for not telling her for five days.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024
The Union and the Confederacy each engaged in secretive maneuvers, and every time an incident rose to the level of media attention, readers became livid.
—Longreads, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for livid 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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about these examples.
Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 30 Oct. 2024
Nikki, who is inside Brooke's body, becomes livid — desperate to return to her life as a social media influencer.
—Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024
His mother is absolutely livid with me for not telling her for five days.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024
The Union and the Confederacy each engaged in secretive maneuvers, and every time an incident rose to the level of media attention, readers became livid.
—Longreads, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for livid
Dictionary Entries Near livid
Cite this Entry
“Livid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/livid. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
livid
adjective
liv·id
ˈliv-əd 
1
: discolored by bruising
2
: pale as ashes
3
: very angry
lividly
adverb
Medical Definition
livid
adjective
liv·id
ˈliv-əd
: discolored by bruising : black-and-blue
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