What is the difference between the adjective form and the slang term lush? This article will cover the various meanings of lush and how to use them.

What is the difference between describing someone as lush and calling a person a lush? This article will cover the meaning of lush and teach you how to use each of these different forms of lush in sentences. Then, you will learn about where the word lush comes from, how to say lush in different languages, and more!

What Does Lush Mean?

According to Dictionary, lush can be used as an adjective or as a noun. As an adjective, lust means succulent, tender, or luxuriant. It can also mean opulent or luxurious.

As a noun, lush is a slang term that refers to a person who is often drunk or intoxicated. If you call someone a lush, you are calling them an alcoholic. This is not a kind term, so use it with caution.

The adverb form of lush is “lushly.” The superlative forms of lush are lush, lusher, and lushest. The noun form of lush is lushness when not used as a slang term.

What Is the Etymology of Lush?

Dictionary states that the word lush has been used since the 1400s as the Middle English lusch. This word comes from the Old English lysu and lēas, meaning bad and lax.

These words are related to the Old Norse lǫskr, Gothic lasiws, Old French lasche, and Middle Low German lasch. These words share a common root in the Latin laxus, making them cognates!

How Can We Use Lush in a Sentence?

Lush has two distinct definitions as an adjective and as a noun. Remember, lush can be very offensive as a noun!

Take a look at these example sentences and see if you can determine when it is used as an adjective and when it is used as a noun.

Example #1: The Lush Rainforest

We frolicked through the lush grass and luxuriant vegetation to the secret oasis in the middle of the rainforest. It was like we were in a fairytale.

Example #2: A Lush at the Party

When we arrived at the party, the local lush greeted us at the door, double-fisting glasses of wine. They were already several drinks in at the 5 PM start time.

Example #3: Lush Vegetation

The lush vegetation of the community garden inspired all those who participated in it.

What Are Translations of Lush?

If you are trying to describe something as succulent or luxuriant in another language, you can use a translation of the word lush! For example, let’s say you are looking at Brazil’s beautiful rainforests and want to describe them as lush. You could use the Portuguese translation of lush, “exuberante!”

Knowing different translations of the word lush from Nice Translator can help you communicate with many more people than you already can. How many of these translations of lush do you already know?

Indonesian: subur
Amharic: love
Finnish: rehevä
Tamil: லஷ்
Thai: เขียวชอุ่ม
Japanese: l
Latvian: sulīgs
Chinese (Taiwan): 鬱鬱蔥蔥的
Slovak: skrývať sa
Norwegian: frodig
Kannada: ಸೊಂಪಾದ
Swedish: frodig
Estonian: lopsakas
Dutch: weelderig
Bengali: লশ
Bulgarian: буен
Basque: leun
Catalan: exuberant
Czech: bujný
Telugu: లష్
Korean: 풍부한
Danish: frodig
Hebrew: סומק
German: üppig
Serbian: бујан
Hindi: रसीला
Greek: πλούσια βλάστηση
Portuguese: exuberante
Urdu: لشکر
Ukrainian: пишний
Malay: subur
Marathi: लश
Russian: пышный
Hungarian: buja
Arabic: الوفرة
Welsh: laswch
Italian: lussureggiante
Swahili: lush
Chinese (PRC): 郁郁葱葱的
Croatian: bujan
Gujarati: રસદાર
Vietnamese: tươi tốt
Malayalam: സമൃദ്ധമായ
Turkish: gürlemek
French: luxuriant
Spanish: lozano
Polish: bujnyfsh

What Are Synonyms of Lush?

Since the word lush has multiple meanings, it is useful to know different ways to say it. That way, you can be clear about whether you are using the word lush as an adjective or as a slang noun. This can help you avoid confusion or offense.

All of the below words from Power Thesaurus have meanings akin to lush. Which one of these would you choose to use in a sentence?

abundant
alcoholic
alky
barfly
blooming
boozehound
boozer
bountiful
delicious
delightful
deluxe
dense
dipsomaniac
drinker
drunk
drunkard
elaborate
exquisite
exuberant
fecund
fertile
flourishing
fruitful
green
inebriate
juicy
lavish
leafy
lovely
luscious
luxuriant
luxuriousness
opulent
overgrown
palatial
plentiful
plush
plushy
problem drinker
prodigal
productive
profuse
prolific
rampant
rank
rich
riotous
ritzy
sensuous
soak
soaker
sot
souse
splendid
succulent
sumptuous
tasty
teeming
thick
tippler
toper
verdant
voluptuous
wino

What Are Antonyms of Lush?

To reinforce the definition of the word lush, you can study these antonyms of lush from Power Thesaurus. Learning antonyms can expand your current vocabulary, too. All of the below antonyms are opposites of the word lush.

How many of these antonyms of lush are you familiar with?

appalling
arid
as plain as a pikestaff
as ugly as sin
awful
bad
bad-looking
bankrupt
barren
bleak
blighted
boring
desolate
disagreeable
disgusting
displeasing
distasteful
dowdy
drab
dreadful
dreary
dry
dull
foul
frumpish
frumpy
grim
grotesque
hideous
homely
horrible
ill-favored
inelegant
inferior
infertile
juiceless
misshapen
monstrous
nasty
obnoxious
off-putting
offensive
ordinary
plain
poor
repellent
repugnant
repulsive
revolting
scarce
shabby
sparse
stark
styleless
tasteless
teetotaler
ugly
ugly as sin
unappealing
unattractive
undesirable
unlovely
unpleasant
unsightly

Conclusion

The word lush has two definitive meanings. First, the word lush is an adjective that means succulent or luxuriant. This is often used to describe vegetation.

Lush can also be used as a slang term to refer to a person who is a heavy drinker. Make sure that you do not get these two words confused or muddled because you do not want to offend someone by calling them a lush!

Sources:

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.