vividadj.
/ˈvɪvɪd/, U.S. /ˈvɪvᵻd/ 1. Full of life; vigorous, active, or energetic on this account; lively or brisk:figurative.1876 J. S. Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 234 Let sweet fragrance flow from thee, Vivid breath of pure emotion.
a. Of persons (or animals), their attributes, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective]
sprindeOE
livelyOE
kaskc1300
wightc1300
courageousc1386
wighty14..
wieldya1413
ablec1440
tall of hand1530
sappy1558
energical1565
energetical1585
greenya1586
stout1600
strenuous1602
forceful?1624
actuous1626
vigorous1638
vivid1638
high-spirited1653
hearty1665
actuose1677
living1699
full-blooded1707
executive1708
rugged1731
sousing1735
energic1740
bouncing1743
two-fisted1774
energetic1782
zestful1797
rollicking1801
through-ganging1814
throughgoing1814
slashing1828
high-powered1829
high pressure1834
rip-roaring1834
red-blooded1836
ripsnorting1846
zesty1853
dynamic1856
throbbing1864
goey1875
torpedoic1893
kinky1903
zippy1903
go-at-it1904
punchy1907
up-and-at-'em1909
driving1916
vibranta1929
kinetic1931
zinging1931
high-octane1936
zingy1938
slam-bang1939
balls-to-the-wall1967
balls-out1968
ass-kicking1977
hi-octane1977
1638 T. Jackson Treat. Consecration Sonne of God ix. xxix. §2 In my old and decaying days to publish the fruits of my former labours in these mysteries which to my apprehension had been well set in my flourishing and vivid years.
a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 80 His whole body was vivid and strong.
1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 254 They have a sprightly vivid countenance.
1801 J. Corry Satir. View London 77 When the fine lady returns home fatigued after a succession of important morning visits and the exhaustion of her vivid spirits.
1858 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 9 June in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) v. 302 Mr. Browning was..a most vivid and quick-thoughted person.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda III. v. xxxv. 8 Mr. Vandernoodt,..as good a foil as could well be found to the intense colouring and vivid gravity of Deronda.
1878 R. Browning Poets Croisic clix His hope be in the vivid horse Whose neck God clothed with thunder.
b. Of material things or substances, or their qualities.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of things, qualities, etc.
pithya1400
vive1477
lustful1561
vigorous1637
vivid1650
high-strung1653
buoyantc1661
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 230 The vertue that was ordained to be in that matter, cannot be so vivid and effectual.
1670 W. Simpson Hydrol. Ess. 99 Elementary fire..produced from a vivid nitrous or hermetick salt.
1818 T. Busby Gram. Music 481 This vivid and volatile instrument [sc. the violin].
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. Introd. 6 Things emitting at unexpectedly short notice vivid and awful stenches.
c. Of feelings, etc.: Lively, strong, intense.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > passion > [adjective]
fieryc1325
sorec1449
vehementa1492
fired1561
passionate1567
vivid1853
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > [adjective]
catching?a1430
vive1528
fascinating1618
affecting1665
amusing1695
uptaking1737
striking1752
interesting1768
arresting1792
frappant1797
riveting1800
engrossing1820
enchaining1823
arrestive1834
alive1844
vivid1853
seizing1865
absorptive1881
absorbative1893
gripping1896
intriguing1909
attention-getting1917
grippy1921
head-turning1938
gimmicky1957
compulsive1961
spellbinding1978
stunty1981
1853 C. Brontë Villette II. xx. 78 His passions were strong, his aversions and attachments alike vivid.
1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species xi. 366 We might have remained in this same belief, had not Agassiz and others called vivid attention to the Glacial period.
1860 W. Collins Woman in White i. narr. W. H. vi Her face expressed vivid interest and astonishment, nothing more.
1873 H. Rogers Superhuman Origin Bible (1875) i. 35 The first is clearly proved by..the vivid indignation he evoked.
1905 ‘G. Thorne’ Lost Cause viii There is a sterling and vivid Christianity among them.
2.
a. Of actions or operations: Proceeding, or taking place, with great vigour or activity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > of action: involving or requiring vigour > carried out or proceeding with vigour
stiffc1250
busyc1275
greatc1275
sternc1275
smart?a1400
stark1489
thronga1525
vigorous1524
stout1582
intensive1605
spiritful?1611
warm1627
intense1645
mettlesome1645
spirited1670
mettled1682
sturdy1697
energetic1700
vivid1702
robustful1800
toughish1840
lively1844
full out1920
1702 in Rous's Academia Cœlestis Advt. sig. A2 More vivid Operations of the Internal Light of Souls.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 472 The combustion that ensues is exceedingly vivid and beautiful.
1836 A. Combe Physiol. Digestion ii. iv. 274 Whenever any living part is called into vivid action, an increased flow of blood and of nervous energy towards it immediately commences.
1858 D. Lardner Hand-bk. Nat. Philos.: Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, & Heat (new ed.) 392 A thin cylinder of oily vapour..is kept in a state of vivid and constant combustion.
b. Of utterances: Strongly or warmly expressed.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > expression > [adjective] > of an utterance
vivid1806
straight1894
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [adjective] > vivid
coloured1571
lively1712
vivid1806
living1876
1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. vi. 114 Being mounted on a beast who..proceeds very coolly to repose himself in the middle of the pond, without..paying the slightest attention to your vivid remonstrances on the subject.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella III. ii. x. 10 The Spanish government..made the most vivid remonstrances through its resident minister.
1981 Observer 15 Nov. 2/8 The famous are shown off~guard—for example,..Sue Lawley using vivid language.
c. Of intellectual faculties: Capable of ready and clear creation of ideas or concepts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective]
imaginativec1405
inventivec1450
feigning1483
creativea1513
inventative1541
inventious1591
conceitful1594
forgetive1600
productive1612
projecting1614
excogitous1646
plastic1662
ingeniary1664
formful1730
forgeful1751
inventful1797
original-minded1797
original1803
originative1811
vivid1814
fingent1837
constructive1841
right-brained1871
poietic1905
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > [adjective] > clear, convincing
potent1609
vivid1814
1814 W. Scott Waverley I. iii. 36 Edward's power of imagination..was vivid . View more context for this quotation
1836 H. Smith Tin Trumpet I. 14 Vivid conception, and keen sensibility, will not of themselves make a good actor.
1864 G. O. Trevelyan Competition Wallah 318 Every page teems with the vivid thought, the glowing fancy [etc.].
1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay i. 2 I suspect your fancy is tolerably vivid still.
d. Of description, etc.: Presenting subjects or ideas in a clear and striking manner. Frequently with picture in figurative use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > narration > description or act of describing > [adjective] > describing vividly > graphic
pictured1561
graphical1644
graphic1669
picturesquea1734
vivid1837
pictorial1841
(a)
(b)1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece III. ii. xvii. 320 It is not from them however that Herodotus draws his vivid picture of the people, with their inhuman rites and repulsive personal features.1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xx. 349 These letters give a vivid picture of the uncertainties which distracted public opinion.1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott IV. v. 157 I mean especially a power of vivid painting—the true and primary sense of what is called Imagination.
1864 E. B. Pusey Daniel vi. 339 Nehemiah himself relates,..in one consecutive vivid narrative, the history of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 166 The second volume of Sir Francis' own work contains a most vivid..history of the time.
1872 J. R. Lowell Milton in Literary Ess. (1890) IV. 72 Mr. Masson's unhappy infection with the vivid style.
1876 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxiii. 296 We have..a no less vivid report of the real or imaginary speeches.
3.
a. Of colour, light, etc.: Brilliant, fresh, lively, bright.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > brilliant or resplendent
flaming?a1400
livelyc1425
resplendent?1440
resplendant?1473
resplendishant?1473
fulgent?a1475
resplendishing1479
splendiferousa1500
vehement1528
preclarec1550
profulgent1561
prelucent1568
splendicant1592
full1599
resplending1600
splendorous1604
splendious1609
splendid1634
flammeous1646
vivid1665
brilliant1681
effulgent1737
fulgorous1772
spandy-bright1968
the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [adjective] > vivid or bright
brightOE
skirea1400
livelyc1425
quickc1425
freshlyc1426
flamingc1450
vive1591
florid1642
vivid1665
hot1673
living1699
aurorean1880
vibrant1971
1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. vi. v. sig. Nn6 Many of the Ladies wear in their Ribbands little less vivid colours, than those of their faces.
1668 R. Boyle in Philos. Trans. 1667 (Royal Soc.) 2 582 A piece of such Wood..that gave a vivid light (for rotten Wood).
1704 I. Newton Opticks i. ii. 136 Such Bodies ought to be chosen as have the fullest and most vivid Colours.
c1750 W. Shenstone Ruin'd Abbey 180 The vivid vermeil fled his fady cheek.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. i. 34 The vivid glow of the western horizon.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 413 In a little time it becomes of a deep vivid blue.
1867 W. D. Howells Ital. Journeys 114 The lavish delight in color found expression in the vividest hues upon the walls.
1875 J. H. Bennet Winter & Spring Mediterranean (ed. 5) xii. 408 The love of vivid colours seems to increase as we descend south.
b. Of things in respect of colour or brightness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > state or mode of having colour > [adjective] > brightly coloured
brightOE
gay?c1225
paintedc1400
sheenc1400
staringc1400
freshc1405
wanton1583
splendid1634
amelled1651
vivid1686
strong1711
bloom-bright1832
flamboyant1851
technicolored1927
dazzle1931
Technicolora1940
fauve1967
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > brilliant or resplendent > of specific things
vivid1686
1686 J. Goad Astro-meteorologica ii. iv. 212 The Sun alone makes not any Rainbow that is vivid or Illustrious.
1716 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad II. viii. 691 Around her Throne the vivid Planets roll.
a1763 W. Shenstone Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 42 Then glows the breast..More free, more vivid, than the linnet's wing.
1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature II. 381 The best glasses have no other effect than the making them [the stars] more vivid in their appearance.
1837 New Monthly Mag. 50 407 A wreath of laurel, intensely vivid, inclosed..the auburn splendours of the head.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. ii. 21 Like a vivid circular rainbow quite round the sun.
1874 J. G. Holland Mistress of Manse 114 The brooding, threatning bank of mist Grows into groups of vivid isles.
4. absolute.1876 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. 2nd Ser. 261 Whether the cause lie not rather in a besetting velleity of the picturesque and vivid.
a. Clearly or distinctly perceived or perceptible; appealing strongly to the mind or eye.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > [adjective] > capable of being perceived > clearly
cleara1398
strong1597
vivid1690
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > [adjective] > clearly visible > sharp or distinct
graphical1626
smart1644
sharp1675
vivid1690
briska1727
unblurred1809
vive1825
clear1835
shadeless1835
film-free1880
eidetic1924
crisp1937
deblurred1968
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding ii. xix. 112 Those Motions made on the Organs of Sense, which at other times produce very vivid and sensible Ideas.
1723 J. Clarke tr. Rohault's Syst. Nat. Philos. I. i. xxxii. 248 This immaterial Image, ought to be so much the more vivid or clear, as the Object sends forth more Rays of Light.
1774 J. Bryant New Syst. II. 214 We shall find the traces of this event more vivid and determinate than those of Greece.
1806 J. Jebb Let. 10 Nov. in J. Jebb & A. Knox Thirty Years' Corr. (1834) I. 297 Sweet sounds..awaken latent harmonies within us, and thus produce a vivid idea of the beautiful.
1848 W. K. Kelly tr. L. Blanc Hist. Ten Years I. 320 At a moment when the part played by the people in July was still fresh and vivid in recollection.
1870 F. W. Farrar Families of Speech ii. 107 No book gives a more vivid impression of the growth of Russian influence.
1883 H. Wace Gospel & Witnesses ii. 34 Its vivid internal marks of genuineness.
b. Intensely or strongly felt.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > effect produced on emotions > [adjective] > vivid
vive1528
lively1548
vivid1705
living1844
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > ability to be perceived by senses > [adjective] > perceived by the senses > intensely or clearly
distincta1535
distinguished1700
vivid1705
pungent1850
1705 F. Atterbury On Relig. Retirement 13 Tempting Objects, by their Number and Nearness, make the most Vivid and Lasting Impressions upon us.
1715 J. T. Desaguliers tr. N. Gauger Fires Improv'd 41 A more vivid Sensation of Cold.
1835 I. Taylor Spiritual Despotism ii. 55 Seasons..in which the clergy are exposed to vivid anxieties or endure actual privations.
1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1857) 3rd Ser. viii. 111 When the recollection of his sin is most vivid and most poignant.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. §1. 454 The vivid sense of a Divine Purity close to such men made the life of common men seem sin.
5. Life-like; resembling life.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > [adjective] > closely resembling > lifelike
livelyc1330
lifelikea1522
natural1581
speaking1582
vive1584
breathing1669
semblant1714
thinking1732
nature-true1850
vivid1852
1852 N. Hawthorne Blithedale Romance xi. 111 He carried a stick with a wooden head, carved in vivid imitation of that of a serpent.
6. quasi-adv. Vividly, brightly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adverb] > brilliantly
resplendentlyc1487
breme1584
refulgently1626
fulgently1662
vividly1668
resplendidly1796
brilliantly1813
lucidly1820
vivida1821
a1821 J. Keats Hyperion (new ed.) 12 in Misc. Philobiblon Soc. (1856–7) III The scenes Still swooning vivid through my globed brain.
1865 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia VI. xx. iii. 64 The Prussian camp-fires, they too are all burning uncommonly vivid.
Compounds
vivid-skinned adj.
ΚΠ
1913 E. F. Benson Thorley Weir i. 8 By the side of his daughter he looked like a dried Normandy pippin compared to a fresh apple, sun-tinted and vivid-skinned.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1920; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
adj.1638