What does "lush" mean?
A drunkard, sot, alcoholic.
Lush
/lʌʃ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A drunkard, sot, alcoholic.
- Grammar: lush is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: luxuriant, opulent, sumptuous, abundant.
- Useful contrasts: dearthy, taut, ungreen.
- Usage evidence: The mountains are a lush green in summer.
How to use "lush"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lush" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lush" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lush" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lush" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lush" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "luxuriant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lush", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A drunkard, sot, alcoholic. countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
"Overaged and lecherous lushes at office parties profaning the text, music, and meaning of Christmas carols."
- 2 a person who drinks alcohol to excess habitually wordnet
- 3 Intoxicating liquor. countable, slang, uncountable
"I took my flogging like a stone. If I had sung, some of the convicts would have given me some lush with a locust in it (laudanum hocussing), and when I was asleep would have given me a crack on the head that would have laid me straight."
- 4 A person who enjoys talking about themselves. Hawaii, countable, slang, uncountable
"Am I humble or am I a lush?"
Verb
- 1 To drink (liquor) to excess. ambitransitive
Adjective
- 1 Juicy, succulent.
"How luſh and luſty the graſſe lookes ? How greene ?"
- 2 Drunk; inebriated. slang
"“’E generally goes down there when ’e’s got ’is skinful, beggin’ your pardon, sir, an’ they do say that the more lush — in-he-briated ’e is, the more fish ’e catches.”"
- 3 Mellow; soft; (of ground or soil) easily turned; fertile. dialectal
- 4 Dense, teeming with life; luxuriant.
"Some of the world’s best rain forest and volcanic hiking can be found within the lush canopied Caribbean trail systems. Chock-full of waterfalls and hot springs, bright-colored birds and howling monkeys, flora-lined trails cut through thick, fragrant forests and up cloud-covered mountains."
- 5 Savoury, delicious.
"That meal was lush! We have to go to that restaurant again sometime!"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Thriving; rife; sumptuous.
"They rolled into Jane's room a wheeled cart lush with cake and cookies and shrimp and crudités and pop and soda water. The staff was giving us a going-away party for our trip to Seattle; it was good to understand their confidence."
- 7 Beautiful, sexy. British, slang
"Boys with long hair are lush!"
- 8 Amazing, cool, fantastic, wicked. British, Canada, slang
"Your voice is lush, Lucy! I could listen to it all day!"
- 9 Lax; slack; limp; flexible. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 produced or growing in extreme abundance wordnet
- 2 tender and full of juice wordnet
- 3 ostentatiously rich and superior in quality wordnet
- 4 having strong sexual appeal wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The mountains are a lush green in summer."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lush"?
Common synonyms include: luxuriant, opulent, sumptuous, abundant, adorable, adorned.
How do you use "lush" in a sentence?
The mountains are a lush green in summer.
How do you pronounce "lush"?
Pronounced /lʌʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English lusch (“slack, relaxed, limp, loose”), from Old English *lysċ, lesċ (“slack; limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *laskw, from Proto-Germanic *laskwaz (“weak, false, feeble”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēy- (“to let; leave behind”). Akin to Old English lysu, lesu (“false, evil, base”), Middle Low German lasch (“slack”), Middle High German er-leswen (“to become weak”), Old Norse lǫskr (“weak, feeble”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍃𐌹𐍅𐍃 (lasiws, “weak, feeble”), Middle Low German las, lasich (“slack, languid, idle”), Low German lusch (“loose”). Doublet of lusk. More at lishey, lazy.
Etymology 2
Perhaps a humorous use of the preceding word, or perhaps from Shelta lush (“food and drink”) (the sense "liquor" is older than the sense "drinker"). The Century Dictionary wrote that it was "said to be so called from one Lushington, a once well-known London brewer", but the Online Etymology Dictionary considers lushington (“drinker”) a humorous extension of lush instead.
Etymology 3
* As an English surname, from the original sense of the adjective lush (“relaxed, slack”). * As a German surname, Americanized from Lüsch, from several placenames in Germany, derived from the obsolete Middle High German liesche (“reeds”). Also East German of Slavic origin, such as Lower Sorbian łuža (“swampy land”), from Proto-Slavic *luža.