What does livid mean?
Livid is an adjective meaning extremely angry or furious. It is stronger and more dramatic than simply “angry,” suggesting a sudden, intense anger that may make someone’s face or manner appear dark with rage. For example, a person might be described as livid after learning that a decision important to them had been made carelessly or unfairly. Livid can also be used in literary or figurative descriptions to refer to a bluish or bluish-black color, especially in the appearance of a bruise. The word has a vivid history: its earlier literal color meaning was based on the idea of the skin turning blue-black under extreme anger or physical injury. Today, its angry sense is by far the most familiar, but the older association with a bluish complexion gives the word its distinctive force. It is especially effective in formal writing, journalism, and dramatic descriptions, while still being understood in everyday speech.
Extremely angry or furious.
"He was livid when he saw that his name had been left off the list."
This is the dominant modern sense. It is more emphatic than “angry” and is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts.
Bluish or bluish-black, especially of the skin.
"The bruise had turned an ugly livid purple."
This sense is chiefly literary or figurative and is much less common than the meaning “furious.”
Livid began as a color word: it described the bluish-black appearance of bruises and, later, came to mean so angry that one’s face might turn that color.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does livid come from?
The word comes from Latin lividus, meaning blue-black or bluish, especially as the color of bruises or the appearance of the skin in anger. English borrowed it in the late Middle English period, initially with reference to color. By the 17th century, it had acquired the figurative meaning of being furiously angry, based on the traditional idea that an enraged person’s face turns blue or livid. Modern cognates include lividity, a noun meaning furious rage, and livor, a related Latin word associated with bluish discoloration.
Related word forms
How livid is actually used
The figurative sense, meaning extremely angry, is common in both British and American English. The literal color sense is now literary or uncommon; “livid” should not be used for an ordinary bruise of any color unless the wording clearly indicates bluish discoloration.
Easily confused with livid
Livid means extremely angry, whereas liquid refers to a substance that flows or takes the shape of its container.