What does lividity mean?
Lividity is a formal noun for a state of being livid. Its most distinctive meaning is the bluish-purple discoloration that can appear in the skin after bruising, especially when blood settles in dependent areas after death; forensic and medical writers use it for this postmortem process. It can also denote extreme anger or fury, although this sense is less common and more literary than the medical one. The related adjective livid is often used to describe a furious person, while the noun lividity is especially associated with the visual evidence of blood settling beneath the skin. The word is useful in legal, medical, and historical writing because it identifies a specific physical phenomenon rather than merely describing bruising, and it can also convey the intensity and formality of profound anger.
nounThe state of being livid, especially the bluish-purple discoloration of skin caused by bruising or impaired blood circulation. The term can also refer to extreme anger or fury.
- The bluish-purple discoloration of skin, especially that appearing after death due to the settling of blood.
- Extreme anger or fury, as in the expression "livid with rage."
"The forensic photograph documented the characteristic lividity across the deceased man's body."
"The examiner noted extensive lividity on the lower portions of the body."
"She was livid with anger when she learned that the proposal had been rejected."
Used mainly in medical or forensic writing when referring to separate areas or instances of discoloration.
"The photographs showed multiple lividities on the body."
After death, blood can settle in the skin and reveal a striking purple map of the body's final position.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lividity come from?
Lividity derives from Latin lividitas, a noun related to lividus, meaning bluish or livid. English borrowed the word through French lividité, with the modern form preserving the Latin relationship visible in livid and livor. The medical sense developed alongside the older general meanings of a bluish color and intense anger.
Related word forms
How lividity is actually used
In medical and forensic contexts, the term usually denotes postmortem discoloration. In general usage, it is formal and literary, often expressing a more intense anger than ordinary words such as "angry."
Easily confused with lividity
Livid is the adjective describing someone or something that is bluish-purple or furiously angry, whereas lividity is the noun naming the condition or discoloration.
Cyanosis refers specifically to a bluish discoloration caused by inadequate oxygenation or circulation, while lividity is broader and is especially used for postmortem discoloration.