bilious

[bil-yuhs]

adjective

1. Physiology, Pathology.,  relating to bile or to an excess secretion of bile.

2. Pathology.,  having, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.

3. peevish; irritable; cranky.

   Synonyms: dyspeptic, grouchy, cross, crabby, grumpy

4. extremely unpleasant or distasteful.

   a long scarf of bright, bilious green.

bilious

/ ˈbɪlɪəs /

adjective

1. of or relating to bile

2. affected with or denoting any disorder related to excess secretion of bile

3. informal,  (esp of colours) extremely distasteful; nauseating

   a bilious green

4. informal,  bad-tempered; irritable

Other Word Forms

• biliousness noun
• biliously adverb
• nonbilious adjective
• nonbiliously adverb
• nonbiliousness noun
• unbilious adjective
• unbiliously adverb
• unbiliousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bilious¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin bīliōsus; bile, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of bilious¹

C16: from Latin bīliōsus full of _bile ¹

Example Sentences

The piece ran under an illustration of a black spatula dripping sinister goblets of melting plastic, against a background of bilious green.

From Los Angeles Times

Color is a bilious miasma, golden tones sliding into flashes of brightness that collapse into queasy hues.

From Los Angeles Times

The canvas, 5 feet square, imposes the sentiment in a stack of crisp white words over snow-covered mountain scenery, the sky a sallow yellow fading upward into bilious green.

From Los Angeles Times

Washed in an unappetizing sludge of grayish green, the movie aims for serious and settles on bilious.

From New York Times

One wonders if he will feel such humiliation was worth it if, two years from now, he loses the speaker’s gavel after the American electorate recoils from voting for this warped, bilious brand of Republicanism.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• anxious 
• fidgety 
• groggy 
• restless 
• sickly 
• squeamish 
• uncomfortable 
• uneasy