limpid

/ˈlɪmpɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɪmpɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlim-pəd/ (ame, mw)

limpid — adjective

  • limpidpositive
  • more limpidcomparative
  • most limpidsuperlative

1. of water, eyes, or other liquids: so see-through that you can look right down in

1.形容詞C2
釋義

of water, eyes, or other liquids: so see-through that you can look right down into them without anything blurring the view.

例句

Naoko gazed at the limpid pool fed by a mountain spring near the temple.

attributive use with natural-water nouns (pool, spring, stream)

The painter spent an hour mixing colours for the baby's limpid blue eyes.

common collocation: limpid + eyes

同義詞
  • clear

    everyday, neutral register; 'limpid' is literary and adds a calm-beauty connotation

  • transparent

    broader; works for solids too (glass), while 'limpid' is mainly for liquids and eyes

  • crystalline

    stresses sparkle and faceted reflection; 'limpid' stresses depth-of-view

  • pellucid

    near-synonym, equally formal-literary; almost interchangeable for water and eyes

反義詞
  • murky

    the everyday opposite — dirty, hard to see through

  • opaque

    stronger: no light passes through at all

  • turbid

    scientific register, used of suspended sediment in water

文法句型

limpid + noun (water, pool, stream, eyes)

用法筆記

Frequently attributive before nouns naming water bodies (pool, stream, lake, spring) or facial features (eyes, gaze). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes physical transparency, never speech or writing.

常見錯誤

❌I drank a limpid glass of water at the cafe.
✅I drank a glass of limpid water at the cafe.
💡'limpid' describes the water itself, not the container holding it.

2. of writing, speech, or musical lines: shaped so cleanly that the meaning or melo

2.形容詞C2
釋義

of writing, speech, or musical lines: shaped so cleanly that the meaning or melody comes through on a first reading without any effort.

例句

Reviewers praised the biography for its limpid prose and steady pacing.

common collocation: limpid + prose / style / writing

Jabari's limpid explanation of the budget helped the council vote within an hour.

extended to clear oral explanation, not just written text

同義詞
  • lucid

    the most common everyday choice; 'lucid' suggests logical clarity, 'limpid' adds an aesthetic, flowing quality

  • crystal-clear

    informal and emphatic; 'limpid' is literary and softer

  • transparent

    in the writing sense, hints at honesty as much as clarity; 'limpid' is purely about easy understanding

反義詞
  • opaque

    hard to follow, deliberately or by accident

  • convoluted

    tangled with too many clauses or detours

  • turgid

    swollen with pompous vocabulary; the standard literary opposite of 'limpid prose'

文法句型

limpid + noun (prose, style, writing, explanation)

用法筆記

Almost always attributive in front of prose, style, writing, explanation, melody, or line. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense never describes a physical liquid — pair it with abstract products of human craft (writing, speech, music).

常見錯誤

❌Her speech was limpider than mine.
✅Her speech was more limpid than mine.
💡'limpid' takes 'more / most', not '-er / -est'.