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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
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2024
Readers were taken aback by myriad aspects of Christie’s florid essay, which runs nearly 4,000 words.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
The florid accusations against Ukraine and the West — combined with authorities’ public flaunting of ferocious retaliation such as cutting off part of one suspect’s ear — are probably calculated to divert attention from intelligence lapses that led to the attack, longtime Russia watchers said.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Sprawling, towering, flamboyant installations of faux flowers and leaves are fast becoming a new hallmark of restaurant design, the florid successor to past fixations like open kitchens, Mason jars and those cordless tabletop lamps.
—Priya Krishna, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for florid 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'florid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Florid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/florid. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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florid
adjective
Medical Definition
florid
adjective
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