Meaning & use
vibrant
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Full of life, energy and excitement, so that a place, person or community feels lively and appealing.
Grammar: Can go before a noun or after a linking verb: a vibrant city, the city is vibrant.
Patterns
- vibrant with something
The neighborhood has a vibrant arts scene with galleries and street theater.
She is a vibrant speaker who keeps the whole room listening.
The market was vibrant with music and the smell of grilled food.
adjectivecomparable
Strong, bright and eye-catching in color.
Grammar: Usually describes colors: vibrant red, not vibrant sound in this sense.
The painter filled the wall with vibrant blues and oranges.
Tropical birds flashed vibrant feathers among the trees.
He wore a vibrant green scarf that stood out against the gray coats.
Word forms
| comparative | more vibrant |
|---|---|
| superlative | most vibrant |
Common combinations
- vibrant colors
- The festival was full of vibrant colors and costumes.
- vibrant community
- The town has a vibrant community of volunteers.
- vibrant city
- Lisbon is a vibrant city with lively nightlife.
- vibrant personality
- Her vibrant personality made her popular at work.
- vibrant economy
- A vibrant economy attracts young workers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lively
- Lively is more casual and mainly describes activity, while vibrant adds a sense of richness and intensity.
- vivid
- Vivid stresses clarity and sharpness, especially of color or memory, rather than overall energy.
- dynamic
- Dynamic suggests forceful change and drive, often in business, whereas vibrant is warmer and more about liveliness.
- colorful
- Colorful only needs many colors, while vibrant implies colors that are strong and intense.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vibrant or vivid?
vibrant vs vivid
Vivid is used for strong images, memories and descriptions as well as color, but vibrant is more about energy and life.
Practice
Which sentence uses vibrant correctly?
Choose one answer.
Vibrant describes something full of energy, such as street life. The other sentences use it where the meaning or grammar does not work.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vibrant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.