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explore the archives:

If you're livid, you're extremely angry, practically purple in the face.

But if your face is just a bit red, you might instead be jolly, cheerful, or san____--according to that very old theory of how personalities were determined by physical substances in the body.

make your point with...

"LIVID"

"Livid" originally described the blueish, blackish, grayish color of lead. If your face turns that color, you're very, very, very angry. That's the most common meaning of "livid" today: livid people are furiously angry.

Pronunciation:
LIV id

Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "a livid glare" or "a livid person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "Her glare was livid" or "She was livid.")

Other forms:
Lividly & lividity ("luh VID ih tee") or lividness.
However, these most often describe color, not anger: "lividly black," "lividity of the skin," "the lividness of her face." For that reason, we won't focus on these in this issue.

How to use it:

Talk about livid people ("he was livid," "he grew livid," "it made him livid"), livid faces, livid glances and looks, livid accusations, etc.

You can be livid at something ("they're livid at the harsher rules"), be livid about something ("they're livid about the harsher rules"), or be livid that something happened ("they're livid that the rules became harsher").

And you can talk about livid hatred, livid resentment, livid indignation, and so on.

examples:

Ruth is cool-headed enough to laugh off the insults that would make me livid.

In a livid announcement, their teacher revoked the class's field trip privileges, declaring that their rowdy behavior the day before had shamed the entire school.

study it now:

Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "livid" means when you can explain it without saying "furious" or "purple with rage."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "Livid about _____, (someone) (did something)."

Example: "Livid about the smashed windows and the spray-painted messages of hate, he took a deep breath and called the police."

before you review:

Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.

This month, we're playing with lines of poetry that include words we've checked out together in previous issues. I’ll give you a few lines from the poem, with a blank where our word appears, along with its definition. See if you can come up with it. Each answer will appear in the next day's issue. Enjoy!

From yesterday:

From John Peck's poem "Little Fugue:"

"Pouring the last tea
of an evening, dark amber
alive, breathing in ____________
of India,"

Definition: the purest, most perfect, most essential part of something.

Answer: quintessence.

Try this today:

From Steve Kistulentz's poem "Death Is a Hysterical Dynasty:"

"This morning I found a ________,
a palmetto bug in my shower, dead in his search for water. "

Definition: a hard, protective outer covering, or something that reminds you of one.

review today's word:

1. The opposite of LIVID is

A. CALM
B. DEADENED
C. UNENGAGED

2. I was livid with myself when I _____.

A. finished the entire crossword puzzle without cheating
B. accidentally turned off my phone's wi-fi and had to pay exorbitant data fees
C. had the opportunity to do some housework but ended up scrolling through Reddit instead

Answers are below.

a final word:

To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com

Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.

Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. B

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LIVID

See this issue on Make Your Point, Jr.

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.