vivid
- Producing powerful, clear, and detailed mental images; intensely bright or strong.
In a sentence
- She had such a vivid imagination that she could describe the scene as if she had been there.
- The documentary used vivid colors and close-up footage to bring the coral reef to life.
Usage note. Use 'vivid' for descriptions that feel almost physically real or intensely visual; it is stronger than 'clear' and implies sensory richness, not just accuracy.
Where it comes from
Early Modern English vivid — “lively, intensely bright” · entered English 17th c.
From Latin 'vividus,' meaning 'lively, animated, full of life,' derived from 'vivere,' meaning 'to live.' The root 'viv-' relates to life and appears in many English words such as 'vivid,' 'vivify,' and 'vivacious.' The word entered English in the mid-17th century.