adjective
florid
FLOR-id/ˈflɔːrɪd/
Excessively elaborate or showy in style.
The mirror's florid frame crowds its tiny center with gilded scrolls and roses.
Etymology
The flower image developed into the sense of being profusely adorned, as with flowers. Applied to style, florid describes ornament so abundant that it seems excessive.
In context
a lot of the Spanish seemed very florid and very impenetrable to me.
More examples
- The editor cuts the florid descriptions to keep the story moving.
- Her florid speech is full of extravagant praise.
- The mirror's florid frame overwhelms the otherwise simple room.
Forms
florid · more florid · most florid
floridly adverb — In an excessively elaborate or showy manner.
Similar words
- ornate
- Emphasizes intricate decoration without necessarily suggesting excess.
- flowery
- Especially describes language overloaded with decorative phrases and imagery.
- overblown
- Emphasizes exaggerated grandeur or importance rather than intricate decoration.