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When it first entered English "florid" was used with the literal meaning "covered with flowers." That use, though now obsolete, hints at the word's history. English speakers borrowed "florid" from the Latin adjective floridus ("blooming" or "flowery"), itself from the verb "florēre" ("to bloom"). "Florēre," which in turn comes from a Latin root meaning "flower," is also an ancestor of the words "flourish" and "florescence" ("a state or period of flourishing"). These days, "florid" can refer to an overblown style in speech, writing, or decoration. As such, its synonyms include "ornate," "rococo," and "overwrought."
Synonyms
Examples of florid in a Sentence
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Putting the florid rhetoric aside, there is an important underlying issue: What is the role of the corporation in society?
—Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
For a florid, prematurely bald man in his 40s, Bullitt was remarkably magnetic.
—Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
But sentimentality suits Flanagan, whose florid writing style is well matched by the high-concept ideas explored here.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near florid
Cite this Entry
“Florid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/florid. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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florid
adjective
Medical Definition
florid
adjective
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