vivid

V4I1V4I1D2
/ˈvɪvɪd/

adjective

Clear, detailed, or powerful.

CommonScrabble 12

Meanings

adjectivevivid (comparative more vivid or vivider, superlative most vivid or vividest)

comparative more vivid · comparative vivider · superlative most vivid · superlative vividest

  1. Bright, intense, or colourful.

    The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise.

    1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC
    1 more example

    Whenever the locomotive was working hard there was unmistakable evidence of its higher power than its predecessors in the brilliant and explosive arcing between conductor shoes and the third rail; this was particularly vivid in Quarry Tunnel in the down direction, where the display equalled anything we have seen on the frostiest of nights in an electrified third-rail area.

    1959 March, “The 2,500 h.p. electric locomotives for the Kent Coast electrification”, in Trains Illustrated, page 125
  2. Full of life; strikingly alive.

    The vivid, untrammeled life appealed to him, and for a time he had found delight in it; but he was wise and knew that once peace was established there would be no room in Cuba for the Sin Verguenza.

    1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 32, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC
nounvivid (plural vivids)

plural vivids

  1. New ZealandA felt-tipped permanent marker; a marker pen.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveevoking lifelike images within the mind

adjectivehaving the clarity and freshness of immediate experience

Similar

adjectivehaving strong or striking color

adjective(of color) having the highest saturation

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gʷih₃wós
  3. Proto-Indo-European*gʷíh₃weti
  4. Proto-Italic*gʷīwō
  5. Latinvīvō
  6. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  7. Latinvīvidu
  8. Englishvivid

Learned borrowing from Latin vividus (“animated, spirited”), from vivere (“to live”), akin to vita (“life”), Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”). The noun sense (a type of marker pen) was genericized from Bic's Vivid Marker brand.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian ярък, блестящ
  • ярък (jarăk)clear, detailed or powerful
  • блестящ (blestjašt)bright, intense or colourful
Catalan vívid, vívid
  • vívidclear, detailed or powerful
  • vívidbright, intense or colourful
Chinese Mandarin 生動 /生动, 鮮烈 /鲜烈
  • 生動 /生动 (shēngdòng)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮烈 /鲜烈 (xiānliè)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮明 /鲜明 (xiānmíng)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮豔 /鲜艳 (xiānyàn)bright, intense or colourful
  • 鮮明 /鲜明 (xiānmíng)bright, intense or colourful
Czech živý
  • živýbright, intense or colourful
Dutch helder, gedetailleerd
  • helderclear, detailed or powerful
  • gedetailleerdclear, detailed or powerful
  • krachtigclear, detailed or powerful
  • helderbright, intense or colourful
  • intensbright, intense or colourful
  • kleurrijklevendigbright, intense or colourful
Esperanto viva, detala
  • vivaclear, detailed or powerful
  • detalaclear, detailed or powerful
  • akraclear, detailed or powerful
  • viglabright, intense or colourful
Finnish elävä, eloisa
  • eläväclear, detailed or powerful
  • eloisaclear, detailed or powerful
  • eläväbright, intense or colourful
French vivide
  • vivideclear, detailed or powerful
German lebendig, lebhaft
  • lebendigclear, detailed or powerful
  • lebhaftclear, detailed or powerful
  • anschaulichclear, detailed or powerful
Hindi सुस्पष्ट, सजीव
  • सुस्पष्ट (suspaṣṭa)clear, detailed or powerful
  • सजीव (sajīv)clear, detailed or powerful
  • जीवंत (jīvant)clear, detailed or powerful
  • चमकीला (camkīlā)bright, intense or colourful
Hungarian élénk
  • élénkbright, intense or colourful
Irish glé, beoga
  • gléclear, detailed or powerful
  • beogaclear, detailed or powerful
  • gléineachclear, detailed or powerful
  • gléineachbright, intense or colourful
  • glébright, intense or colourful
Italian chiaro, limpido
  • chiaroclear, detailed or powerful
  • limpidoclear, detailed or powerful
Japanese 鮮烈, 鮮明
  • 鮮烈 (senretsu)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮明 (senmei)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮やか (azayaka)clear, detailed or powerful
  • 鮮明 (senmei)bright, intense or colourful
  • 鮮やか (azayaka)bright, intense or colourful
Māori muramura
  • muramurabright, intense or colourful
Norwegian livlig, knall-
  • livligclear, detailed or powerful
  • knall-bright, intense or colourful
Portuguese vívido, vívido
  • vívidoclear, detailed or powerful
  • vívidobright, intense or colourful
  • vivobright, intense or colourful
Russian живо́й, я́сный
  • живо́й (živój)clear, detailed or powerful
  • я́сный (jásnyj)clear, detailed or powerful
  • я́ркий (járkij)bright, intense or colourful
Scottish Gaelic beò, beò
  • beòclear, detailed or powerful
  • beòbright, intense or colourful
Spanish vívido, vivo
  • vívidoclear, detailed or powerful
  • vivobright, intense or colourful
Swedish färgglad
  • färggladbright, intense or colourful
Turkish berrak, açık
  • berrakclear, detailed or powerful
  • açıkclear, detailed or powerful
  • netclear, detailed or powerful
  • parlakbright, intense or colourful
  • cırlakbright, intense or colourful
Vietnamese sống động
  • sống độngbright, intense or colourful
Yiddish בילדעריש, בילדעריש
  • בילדעריש (bilderish)clear, detailed or powerful
  • בילדעריש (bilderish)bright, intense or colourful

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with vivid

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

vivid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vivid

MLA

“vivid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vivid. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vivid,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vivid.

Source: vivid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.