Lush — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈləsh/

Meaning & Definition of Lush

Lush (adjective)

  1. growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage
  2. lavishly productive
  3. fertile

Lush (noun)

  1. intoxicating liquor, drink
  2. a habitual heavy drinker, drunkard

Lush (verb)

  1. to consume (alcohol) —often used with up
  2. to ply (someone) with alcohol —often used with up
  3. to consume alcohol, drink —often used with up

Lush (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. covered with a thick healthy natural growth

    "they loved to go for picnics in the lush woodlands"

    similar: green, grown, leafy, 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. growing thickly and vigorously

    "lush dandelions had turned the meadow into a sea of yellow"

    similar: luxuriant, prosperous, rampant, rank, weedy
    related: lavish, profuse, overgrown, overrun, verdant, close, dense, tangled, thick
    opposite: sparse
    near: dormant, blighted, stunted

  3. very pleasing to the sense of taste

    "lush desserts that are well worth the boatload of calories"

    similar: ambrosial, appetizing, dainty, delectable, delicious, delish, flavorful, flavorsome, luscious, mouthwatering, palatable, savory, scrumptious, succulent, tasteful, tasty, toothsome, toothy, yummy
    related: digestible, eatable, edible, delightful, heavenly, pleasing, agreeable, gratifying, pleasant, satisfying, choice, delicate, exquisite, rare
    opposite: distasteful, flat, flavorless, insipid, stale, tasteless, unappetizing, unpalatable, unsavory, yucky
    near: banal, boring, commonplace, tedious, noisome, smelly, stinky, noxious, unwholesome, miserable, wretched, abhorrent, abominable, awful, detestable, disagreeable, disgusting, foul, horrid, nauseating, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, sickening, unpleasant

  4. marked by vigorous growth and well-being especially economically

    "those were lush times for the gambling industry, which kept building ever grander casinos"

    similar: booming, boomy, flourishing, golden, halcyon, healthy, palmy, prospering, prosperous, roaring, successful, thriving
    related: affluent, moneyed, opulent, rich, substantial, wealthy, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do, comfortable
    opposite: depressed, unprosperous, unsuccessful
    near: declining, dying, failing, floundering, languishing, struggling, bankrupt, bankrupted, insolvent

  5. pleasing to the physical senses

    "I could listen to the baritone's lush voice for hours"

    similar: carnal, fleshly, luscious, sensual, sensuous, voluptuous
    related: bodily, corporeal, agreeable, delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, gratifying, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, scrumptious, epicurean, luxurious, self-indulgent
    near: harsh, painful, uncomfortable, disgusting, foul, hideous, icky

  6. producing abundantly

    "his lush fields were the envy of neighboring farmers"

    similar: cornucopian, fat, fecund, fertile, fructuous, fruitful, luxuriant, productive, prolific, rich
    related: bearing, generative, producing, yielding, abounding, abundant, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, blooming, bursting, flourishing, swarming, teeming, thriving, creative, inventive, original
    opposite: barren, dead, infertile, sterile, unfertile, unfruitful, unproductive
    near: meager, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, spare, sparse

Lush (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who makes a habit of getting drunk

    "she accused him of being a lush and a spendthrift"

    similar: alcoholic, alkie (slang), boozehound, boozer, dipsomaniac, drinker, drunk, drunkard, inebriate, juicehead (slang), juicer (slang), rummy, soak, soaker, sot, souse, tippler, toper, tosspot
    related: swigger, swiller, wino
    near: abstainer, nondrinker, teetotaler, teetotalist

  2. a distilled beverage that can make a person drunk

    "you guys can drink if you want, but I'm laying off the lush"

    similar: alcohol, aqua vitae, ardent spirits, booze, bottle, drink, firewater, grog, hooch (slang), inebriant, intoxicant, John Barleycorn, juice (slang), liquor, moonshine, potable, rum, sauce (slang), spirits, stimulant, strong drink, tipple
    related: aperitif, bracer, chaser, digestif, nightcap, belt, load, nip, peg (British), pop, shooter, shot, slug, snifter, snort, tot, whet, cocktail, mixed drink, ale, beer, brew, brewage, brewski (slang), home brew, malt liquor, microbrew, mum, nappy (chiefly Scottish), mead, sake, wine, barley-bree (chiefly Scottish), brandy, gin, liqueur, mao-tai, mescal, schnapps, tequila, vodka, whiskey, Dutch courage
    opposite: nonintoxicant
    near: mocktail, mix, mixer, pop, soda, soda pop, soft drink

Related Entry: Lush (up) (verb)

Lush (up) is a different word from Lush. The synonyms below are for lush (up), not for lush.

  1. to partake excessively of alcoholic beverages

    "frat boys lushing up on beer during freshman rush"

    similar: bib, booze, drink, guzzle, liquor (up), soak, tipple, booze it up, hit the bottle
    related: carouse, revel, imbibe, nip
    near: abstain

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Lush

The most common words with a similar meaning to Lush:

Slang: alkie, juicehead, juicer, hooch, juice, sauce
green, grown, leafy, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, prosperous, rampant, rank, weedy, ambrosial, appetizing, dainty, delectable, delicious, delish, flavorful, flavorsome, luscious, mouthwatering, palatable, savory, scrumptious, succulent, tasteful, tasty, toothsome, toothy, yummy, booming, boomy, flourishing, golden, halcyon, healthy, palmy, prospering, roaring, successful, thriving

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Lush

Words with the opposite meaning of Lush:

barren, leafless, sparse, distasteful, flat, flavorless, insipid, stale, tasteless, unappetizing, unpalatable, unsavory, yucky, depressed, unprosperous, unsuccessful, dead, infertile, sterile, unfertile, unfruitful, unproductive, nonintoxicant

Related Words for Lush

dense, tangled, lavish, profuse, overrun, close, thick, digestible, eatable, edible, delightful, heavenly, pleasing, agreeable, gratifying, pleasant, satisfying, choice, delicate, exquisite, rare, affluent, moneyed, opulent, substantial, wealthy, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do, comfortable

Near Antonyms of Lush

bleak, depleted, impoverished, poor, stark, arid, desert, dry, parched, sere, waterless, dormant, blighted, stunted, banal, boring, commonplace, tedious, noisome, smelly, stinky, noxious, unwholesome, miserable, wretched, abhorrent, abominable, awful, detestable, disagreeable

Word Forms of Lush

Inflections: lushed, lushing, lushes

Derived words: lushly (adverb), lushness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Lush

Middle English lusch soft, tender

First known use: 1610

Frequently Asked Questions about Lush

What does "Lush" mean?

"Lush" means growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Lush"?

Other words for "Lush" include green, grown, leafy, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, prosperous and rampant. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Lush" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Lush"?

There are 198 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Lush". Common alternatives include green, grown, leafy, luxuriant, overgrown, verdant, prosperous, rampant, rank and weedy.

What is a slang word for "Lush"?

Slang words for "Lush" include alkie, juicehead, juicer, hooch, juice and sauce.

What is the opposite of "Lush"?

Antonyms of "Lush" include barren, leafless, sparse, distasteful, flat, flavorless, insipid and stale. Near antonyms include bleak, depleted, impoverished and poor.

How do you use "Lush" in a sentence?

Examples of "Lush" in a sentence: "they loved to go for picnics in the lush woodlands"; "lush dandelions had turned the meadow into a sea of yellow"; "lush desserts that are well worth the boatload of calories".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Lush"?

"Lush" is pronounced /ˈləsh/.