florid
3
8.6
- adjective
- /ˈflɔrɪd/
- Formal
:
florido
- The author's latest novel is filled with florid descriptions that create a vivid landscape.
- florid prose
- florid style
- florid language
Examples
-
The writing in the letters is quite florid.
-
He used to write me such beautiful, florid, romantic love letters.
-
I end my apology with a florid appeal, asking her to forgive me.
Fiction book (1991) -
Offering a florid apology, the captain, too, retreated.
Fiction book (2002) -
I just often yearn for more intellectual generality and less florid writing.
Academic text (1995) -
A musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill; a florid style.
Academic text (2003) -
I do find, uh, Kirbridge's style so tediously over-florid, don't you?
-
"I really like her interest in trying to evaluate some of these claims with evidence other than the often very florid rhetoric that surrounds them in public discussion," says Klingensmith.
Academic text (2009) -
The first is that it is dull, dull, dull in a pretentious, florid, and archly fatuous fashion.
Blog text (6) -
Although Bulwer has, since the nineteenth century, been largely ignored due to his sentimental style and florid prose, his work has recently come to critical attention for his formal innovations and contributions to literary theory.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
497
2.7
Decorative and not plain, often with many small details
35
6.5
Being very bright and showy to attract attention
31
7.1
Decorated with many small shiny pieces like sequins that sparkle in light
27
7.5
Too big and showy in a way that tries to seem more important than it is
26
7.0
Using long, fancy words and complicated sentences that make writing hard to follow
22
5.5
Very bright and showy in a way that looks bad
13
4.8
A bright, showy look that tries to impress people
11
7.7
To show off very expensive things to attract attention
1
8.3
Has extra decorations and changes to look exciting and get attention
1
9.6
Having a very showy, overly decorated style
1
4.7
Having too many things to make it look pretty so it feels crowded or showy
1
8.7
Showy with expensive clothes and jewelry to get attention
Having very fancy, flowery language with many showy words
Writing or speech that is too long, showy, and hard to read
Too decorated so it looks showy and not natural
Too decorated with extra words or details that distract the reader
Clothing that has ruffles or loose folds that move and look showy
Covered with many small shiny things that reflect light or full of famous people
A thing with decorations like jewels or banners to make it look more beautiful
Covered with small things that make something look more beautiful
Showing off things or yourself to get attention
Antonyms
How Ornate
Surface Forms
Morphology
florid = flor + id
The adjective is historically related to 'flower' (flowery/ornate) so the sense 'elaborately decorated' is somewhat guessable, but the combining form 'flor-' and the suffix '-id' are not productive English morphemes, so the relation may not be fully obvious to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Florid comes from the Latin root flor- meaning 'flower', the same root you see in English flower and floral. Think of language or rooms full of bright, showy 'flowers', so florid came to mean richly decorated or 'flowery' in style.