Green — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈgrēn/

Meaning & Definition of Green

Green (adjective)

  1. of the color green
  2. covered by green growth or foliage
  3. consisting of green plants and usually edible herbage

Green (noun)

  1. a color whose hue is somewhat less yellow than that of growing fresh grass or of the emerald or is that of the part of the spectrum lying between blue and yellow
  2. something of a green color; especially, green clothing or cloth
  3. green vegetation

Green (verb)

  1. to make green
  2. rejuvenate, revitalize
  3. to become green

Green (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. covered with a thick, healthy natural growth

    "fields green with meadow grass"

    similar: grown, leafy, lush, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant
    related: fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, productive, prolific, rich, dense, tangled
    opposite: barren, leafless
    near: bleak, depleted, impoverished, infertile, poor, stark, unproductive, arid, dead, desert, dry, parched, sere, waterless

  2. lacking in adult experience or maturity

    "a new pitcher who's pretty green, even by rookie standards"

    similar: adolescent, callow, immature, inexperienced, juvenile, puerile, raw, unfledged, unformed, unripe, unripened, wet behind the ears
    related: babyish, childish, infantile, infantilized, infantine, boyish, girlish, juvenescent, kiddish, young, youngish, youthful, maidenly, virginal, ingenuous, innocent, naive, tender, unknowing, unseasoned, unsophisticated, untrained, untried
    opposite: adult, experienced, grown-up, mature, ripe
    near: advanced, precocious, knowing, savvy, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

  3. lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

    "in spite of her age, she's still green enough to be hoodwinked by fast-talking scammers"

    similar: aw-shucks, dewy, dewy-eyed, ingenuous, innocent, naïf, naive, primitive, simple, simpleminded, uncritical, unknowing, unsophisticated, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary, unworldly, wide-eyed
    related: callow, childish, immature, inexperienced, raw, childlike, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, believing, credulous, gullible, susceptible, trustful, trusting, unguarded, beguiled, duped, gulled, tricked, careless, heedless, thoughtless
    opposite: cosmopolitan, experienced, knowing, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise
    near: critical, cynical, doubting, incredulous, skeptical, suspecting, suspicious, unconvinced, careful, cautious, guarded, leery, wary, watchful, down-to-earth, hardheaded, pragmatic, realistic, sober, street-smart, streetwise

Green (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. green leaves or plants

    "the lonely soldier dreamt of the fields of green that he had wandered in as a youth"

    similar: flora, foliage, greenery, herbage, leafage, vegetation, verdure
    related: grassland, prairie, underbrush, undergrowth

  2. something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment

    "I need to save up some green before I can afford that cruise"

    similar: bread (slang), bucks, cabbage (slang), cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, jack (slang), kale (slang), legal tender, lolly (British), long green (slang), loot, lucre, money, moola (slang), needful, pelf, scratch (slang), shekels, tender, wampum
    related: coinage, specie, dead presidents (slang), folding money, paper money, scrip, banknote, cashier's check, check, draft, money order, note, promissory note, bill, dollar, greenback, bankroll, capital, finances, funds, roll (slang), wad, wallet, chump change, dibs (slang), dime, mite, peanuts, pittance, shoestring, big bucks, bomb (British), boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, packet (chiefly British), pile, pot, abundance, means, opulence, riches, treasure, wealth, resources, wherewithal, mad money, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

Related Entry: Green-eyed (adjective)

Green-eyed is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green-eyed, not for green.

  1. having or showing mean resentment of another's possessions or advantages

    "an anonymous online review of the restaurant that looks like it may have been written by a green-eyed competitor"

    similar: covetous, envious, invidious, jaundiced, jealous, resentful, eating one's heart out, green with envy
    related: begrudging, grudging, avaricious, grasping, greedy, rapacious, distrustful, suspicious, malicious, petty, spiteful
    opposite: unenvious
    near: generous, kind, kindhearted, altruistic, benevolent, charitable, well-meaning

Related Entry: Green-eyed monster (noun)

Green-eyed monster is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green-eyed monster, not for green.

  1. a painful awareness of another's possessions or advantages and a desire to have them too

    "the green-eyed monster dogged her whenever she visited her wealthy sister"

    similar: covetousness, enviousness, envy, invidiousness, jealousy, resentment
    related: animosity, enmity, hatred, ill will, malice, maliciousness, spitefulness
    near: benevolence, goodwill, kindness, sympathy

Related Entry: Green-light (verb)

Green-light is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green-light, not for green.

  1. to give permission for or to approve of

    "as soon as the project is green-lighted, we'll schedule a planning meeting"

    similar: allow, have, permit, suffer, stand for
    related: authorize, commission, license, accede (to), acquiesce, agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), OK, warrant, accord, concede, grant, sanction, vouchsafe, admit, brook, condone, countenance, endure, support, tolerate
    opposite: ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto
    near: hinder, impede, obstruct, censure, deny, disallow, disapprove, interdict, refuse, reject, revoke, suppress, withhold, deplore, discountenance, disfavor, dislike, frown (at or on), grudge, check, curb, keep, repress, restrain

Related Entry: Green light (noun)

Green light is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green light, not for green.

  1. the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something

    "we were given the green light to use the town commons for our fund-raiser"

    similar: allowance, authorization, clearance, concurrence, consent, granting, leave, license, permission, sanction, sufferance, warrant
    related: imprimatur, seal, signature, stamp, accreditation, certification, liberty, pass, concession, patent, permit, tolerance, toleration, acceptance, acquiescence, agreement, assent, OK, accord, grant
    opposite: interdiction, prohibition, proscription
    near: denial, refusal, rejection, revocation, taboo, injunction, veto, deterrence, discouragement, repression, suppression, ban, embargo, exclusion

Related Entry: Green with envy (phrase)

Green with envy is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green with envy, not for green.

  1. having or showing mean resentment of another's possessions or advantages

    "She was green with envy when her rival took home the gold."

    similar: covetous, envious, green-eyed, invidious, jaundiced, jealous, resentful, eating one's heart out
    related: begrudging, grudging, avaricious, grasping, greedy, rapacious, distrustful, suspicious, malicious, petty, spiteful
    opposite: unenvious
    near: generous, kind, kindhearted, altruistic, benevolent, charitable, well-meaning

Related Entry: Green snake (noun)

Green snake is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green snake, not for green.

  1. as in garter snake, diamondback rattlesnake

    similar: adder, anaconda, asp, black racer, blacksnake, blue racer, boa, bull snake, bushmaster, chicken snake, cobra, constrictor, copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth moccasin, diamondback rattlesnake, fer-de-lance, garter snake, gopher snake, hognose snake, horned viper, indigo snake, king cobra, king snake, krait, mamba, milk snake, moccasin, pine snake, pit viper, puff adder, python, racer, rat snake, rattlesnake, sea serpent, sea snake, sidewinder, taipan, water moccasin, water snake, worm snake, serpent, snake, viper

Related Entry: Green snakes (noun)

Green snakes is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green snakes, not for green.

  1. as in garter snakes, diamondback rattlesnakes

    similar: adders, anacondas, asps, black racers, blacksnakes, blue racers, boas, bull snakes, bushmasters, chicken snakes, cobras, constrictors, copperheads, coral snakes, cottonmouth moccasins, diamondback rattlesnakes, fer-de-lance, garter snakes, gopher snakes, hognose snakes, horned vipers, indigo snakes, king cobras, king snakes, kraits, mambas, milk snakes, moccasins, pine snakes, pit vipers, puff adders, pythons, racers, rat snakes, rattlesnakes, sea serpents, sea snakes, sidewinders, taipans, water moccasins, water snakes, worm snakes, serpents, snakes, vipers

Related Entry: Green-lighted (verb)

Green-lighted is a different word from Green. The synonyms below are for green-lighted, not for green.

  1. to give permission for or to approve of

    "as soon as the project is green-lighted, we'll schedule a planning meeting"

    similar: allowed, had, permitted, suffered, stood for
    related: authorized, commissioned, licensed, acceded (to), acquiesced, agreed (to), assented (to), consented (to), OK'd, warranted, accorded, conceded, granted, sanctioned, vouchsafed, admitted, brooked, condoned, countenanced, endured, supported, tolerated
    opposite: banned, enjoined, forbade, prohibited, proscribed, vetoed
    near: hindered, impeded, obstructed, censured, denied, disallowed, disapproved, interdicted, refused, rejected, revoked, suppressed, withheld, deplored, discountenanced, disfavored, disliked, frowned (at or on), grudged, checked, curbed, kept, repressed, restrained

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Green

The most common words with a similar meaning to Green:

Slang: bread, cabbage, jack, kale, long green, moola, scratch
British: lolly
grown, leafy, lush, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, adolescent, callow, immature, inexperienced, juvenile, puerile, raw, unfledged, unformed, unripe, unripened, aw-shucks, dewy, dewy-eyed, ingenuous, innocent, naïf, naive, primitive, simple, simpleminded, uncritical, unknowing, unsophisticated, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary, unworldly, wide-eyed, wet behind the ears, flora, foliage, greenery, herbage

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Green

Words with the opposite meaning of Green:

barren, leafless, adult, experienced, grown-up, mature, ripe, cosmopolitan, knowing, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise

Related Words for Green

fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, productive, prolific, rich, dense, tangled, babyish, childish, infantile, infantilized, infantine, boyish, girlish, juvenescent, kiddish, young, youngish, youthful, maidenly, virginal, unseasoned, untrained, untried, childlike, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic

Near Antonyms of Green

bleak, depleted, impoverished, infertile, poor, stark, unproductive, arid, dead, desert, dry, parched, sere, waterless, advanced, precocious, savvy, critical, cynical, doubting, incredulous, skeptical, suspecting, suspicious, unconvinced, careful, cautious, guarded, leery, wary

Word Forms of Green

Inflections: greens, greened, greening

Derived words: greenish (adjective), greenishness (noun), greenly (adverb), greenness (noun), greeny (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Green

Middle English grene, from Old English grēne; akin to Old English grōwan to grow

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Green

Words & Phrases Containing Green

green alga, green anole, green around the gills, green bean

Frequently Asked Questions about Green

What does "Green" mean?

"Green" means of the color green. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: of the color green. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Green"?

Other words for "Green" include grown, leafy, lush, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, adolescent and callow. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Green" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Green"?

There are 171 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Green". Common alternatives include grown, leafy, lush, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, adolescent, callow, immature and inexperienced.

What is a slang word for "Green"?

Slang words for "Green" include bread, cabbage, jack, kale, long green and moola.

What is the opposite of "Green"?

Antonyms of "Green" include barren, leafless, adult, experienced, grown-up, mature, ripe and cosmopolitan. Near antonyms include bleak, depleted, impoverished and infertile.

How do you use "Green" in a sentence?

Examples of "Green" in a sentence: "fields green with meadow grass"; "a new pitcher who's pretty green, even by rookie standards"; "in spite of her age, she's still green enough to be hoodwinked by fast-talking scammers".

Is "Green" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Green" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Green" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Green" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.