Meaning 1
Growing with exceptional thickness, vigor, and abundance.
Reach for it when describing healthy vegetation, hair, or similarly rich growth
Luxuriant ferns filled the shaded hollow after spring rain.
Meaning 2
Richly elaborate or abundant in sensory detail.
Reach for it when describing an ornate style, texture, or imaginative work
The composer's luxuriant harmonies remained clear in the small hall.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| professional | ||
| formal | ||
| literary |
|
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everyday
Fits when dense healthy growth deserves natural modern praise
Careful Lush is less formal and can also imply rich sensory style.
professional
Fits when large quantity is the supportable claim
Careful Abundant is neutral and misses vigorous beauty.
professional
Fits when an organism produces many offspring, flowers, or works
Careful Prolific concerns output rather than luxuriant form.
literary
Fits when healthy greenness rather than thickness is the image
Careful Verdant does not guarantee abundant growth.
professional
Fits when many decorative details shape the style
Careful Ornate can be rigid or overworked rather than richly flowing.
formal
Fits when rich display and costly detail are central
Careful Opulent implies wealth that artistic luxuriance may not.
literary
Fits when full sensory pleasure and refinement are intended
Careful Sumptuous is stronger and poorly suited to intellectual detail.
luxuriant growth
Luxuriant growth concealed the old garden wall.
luxuriant hair
The portrait emphasizes the sitter's luxuriant hair.
luxuriant style
A luxuriant style filled the tapestry with birds and vines.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
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