lurid

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lūridus (“pale yellow, wan”).

adj

  1. Shocking, horrifying, especially when it comes to violence or sex.
    The accident was described with lurid detail.
    Speculating on why publishers rejected it, he wonders whether it was deemed too lurid at the time, especially since Steinbeck was then an unknown author. 2021-05-22, Dalya Alberge, “John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel”, in The Observer
  2. Melodramatic.
  3. Ghastly, pale, wan in appearance.
  4. Being of a light yellow hue.
    The lurid lighting of the bar made for a very hazy atmosphere.
  5. (botany) Having a brown colour tinged with red.
    a lurid plant with maroon leaves and pink flowers 1976, Ethnology
  6. (zoology) Having a colour tinged with purple, yellow, and grey.

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