What does suffused mean?
Suffused describes something filled or pervaded throughout by a particular quality, feeling, color, light, or atmosphere. The phrase “suffused with” is especially common: a room may be suffused with warmth, a landscape with fog, or a voice with emotion. As a verb, suffused is the past tense and past participle of suffuse, meaning to spread over or through something. The word has a literary quality and often conveys a gradual, immersive effect rather than a sudden or sharply bounded one. It is especially useful when describing light, color, atmosphere, emotion, or meaning that seems to permeate a place, scene, utterance, or experience.
Pervaded throughout or filled with a quality, feeling, color, or atmosphere.
"The valley was suffused with mist and early light."
Commonly used in the pattern “suffused with”; somewhat formal or literary.
Past tense and past participle of suffuse: spread over or through; pervade.
"A reddish glow suffused the entire room."
A space can be filled with objects, but a suffused space is filled with an atmosphere—light, emotion, or meaning seems to permeate everything.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suffused come from?
Suffused comes from the Latin suffundere, meaning “to pour over” or “spread over,” formed from the prefix suff- and fundere, “to pour.” Its English development is associated with the verb suffuse and the noun suffusion. Related English words include diffuse, effusion, fusion, and confluence, all of which derive from Latin roots involving pouring or spreading.
Related word forms
How suffused is actually used
As an adjective, suffused is usually used with “with” and has a somewhat literary or formal tone. In the verb form, it is the past tense and past participle of suffuse.
Easily confused with suffused
Diffuse can mean spread out over a wide area, while suffused typically describes something pervaded throughout by a quality, feeling, or atmosphere.