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
Many in the Penguins organization were still livid about that call following the game.
—Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Bengals fans were livid, saying the Chiefs were afraid to face Cincinnati in the playoffs.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Senate Democrats were livid after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), two longtime members of their caucus, voted Wednesday to block President Biden’s nominee, Lauren McFerran, to serve another five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
Lawmakers, surprised by the assault on their pet projects, were livid.
—Scott Kraft, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for livid 
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Josh Yohe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Bengals fans were livid, saying the Chiefs were afraid to face Cincinnati in the playoffs.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Senate Democrats were livid after Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), two longtime members of their caucus, voted Wednesday to block President Biden’s nominee, Lauren McFerran, to serve another five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
Lawmakers, surprised by the assault on their pet projects, were livid.
—Scott Kraft, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 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 22 Jan. 2025.
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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