livid

Everyday

1. Very, very angry, so angry you can hardly keep calm. tree →
2. (of skin) Dark blue-grey or purple, like the colour of a bad bruise. tree →
3. (formal, old) Pale or ashen in the face, from shock or anger. tree →

In the lessons

In stories «livid» tells the reader a character is furious, much stronger than just «cross» or «annoyed»; it often comes before an argument or a punishment. Phrases: «absolutely livid», «livid with rage», «livid about something», «livid at someone». In science or first aid you may meet «a livid bruise», meaning dark purple. In everyday life a parent might be livid about a broken window.

Examples

• Mum was livid when she saw mud all over the new carpet. tree →
• The coach was absolutely livid about the late kick-off. tree →
• Dad went livid when he heard someone had scratched the car. tree →
• She was livid with her brother for reading her diary. tree →
• A livid bruise spread across his knee after the fall. tree →
• The teacher looked livid, so the whole class went silent. tree →
• I was livid at myself for forgetting my lunch again. tree →
• The old story says his face turned livid with fear. tree →
• When the King, who was still at table and laughing at the good trick he had played his creditor, heard him again reclaiming his money, he became livid with rage. tree →

Note

An adjective, used mostly after «be», «look», «go» («she went livid»). Mostly about strong anger in modern English; the colour sense (bruise purple) is the older meaning. People sometimes think it means «lively» because of «live» – it does not. Not a maths word.