Meaning & use
vivid descriptions
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Meaning
phraseplural
Written or spoken accounts that use strong, clear detail so the reader or listener can almost see, hear, or feel what is described.
Grammar: A plural noun phrase; use it with plural verbs, as in 'Her vivid descriptions were memorable.' For one account, say 'a vivid description of something'.
Patterns
- vivid descriptions of something
- give/provide vivid descriptions
- full of vivid descriptions
The travel book is famous for its vivid descriptions of mountain villages at dawn.
Her vivid descriptions of the market made me feel I had walked through it myself.
The report gives vivid descriptions of life in the flooded towns.
Word forms
| singular | vivid description |
|---|
Common combinations
- vivid descriptions of
- The novel opens with vivid descriptions of the harbor at night.
- provide vivid descriptions
- Witnesses provided vivid descriptions of the storm.
- a vivid description
- He wrote a vivid description of his first day at school.
- vividly described
- The scene is vividly described in the opening chapter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- graphic accounts
- 'Graphic' stresses shocking or explicit detail, often about violence or sex, while 'vivid' simply stresses clear, lively detail.
- detailed accounts
- 'Detailed' focuses on the amount of information; 'vivid' focuses on how strongly the description affects the senses.
- colorful descriptions
- More informal and slightly approving; it suggests lively, entertaining language rather than precise sensory detail.
Opposites
Word family
- vivid adjective
- producing strong, clear images in the mind
- vividly adverb
- in a way that produces strong, clear images
- vividness noun
- the quality of being clear and lively in the mind
- describe verb
- to say or write what someone or something is like
- description noun
- an account that tells what someone or something is like
Commonly confused: vivid descriptions or vivid description? vivid descriptions or lively descriptions?
vivid descriptions vs vivid description
The singular form needs 'a' or 'the': 'a vivid description of the city'. The plural 'vivid descriptions' stands alone: 'vivid descriptions of the city'.
vivid descriptions vs lively descriptions
'Lively' means energetic and cheerful; 'vivid' means clear and strong in the senses, so a dark, frightening scene can still be vivid.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Vivid descriptions' is plural and needs no article, so option An is correct. Option B wrongly mixes 'a' with a plural noun; option C needs 'a' or 'the' before the singular noun; option D uses a gerund where a noun is required.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vivid descriptions”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.