Vivid

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪvɪd/

Definitions

1. Characterized by intense and bright colors that grab attention
2. Displaying colors that are strikingly bright and strong to the eye ; producing a clear and distinct mental image or recall
3. Having hues that are powerful and well-defined ; capable of forming precise and lively impressions in the mind

Etymology: Latin "vividus" meant "animated, spirited," and it came from "vivere," "to live." That is the same root that gives English "vitality," "vital," and "vitamin," and it reaches back to Ancient Greek "bios," meaning "life." So the word's original sense was about being full of life, not about colour or clarity at all. The visual meaning developed later, when a lively thing was naturally a bright and sharply defined one. English borrowed it directly from Latin as a learned word, so it did not pass through everyday speech first. Its modern "bright and clear" sense is the one most people now hear, and it is the older Latin notion of life and energy that remains underneath it.

Synonyms: bright, intense, clear, lively, graphic

Antonyms: dull, faded, bland, dim, drab