Word
lush
US/ˈɫəʃ/
UK/lˈʌʃ/
Definitions
01thick and green
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. growing thickly and healthily, especially plants or grass.
adj. characterised by abundant, healthy, and luxuriant growth, typically in reference to vegetation.
“The valley was filled with lush green grass after the spring rains.”
“The explorers struggled to navigate through the lush tropical rainforest, where the canopy was so dense it blocked out the midday sun.”
02rich and expensive
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. very comfortable, expensive, and high quality.
adj. appealing to the senses through richness, luxury, or opulence.
“The hotel room was decorated with lush velvet curtains and soft carpets.”
“The film's lush cinematography and intricate costume design earned it several awards during the festival season.”
03attractive or great
B2 · Upper Intermediate British English · Informal · Slang
adj. very attractive, beautiful, or excellent.
adj. used as a general term of approval for something or someone aesthetically pleasing or high in quality.
“You look absolutely lush in that new dress.”
“We had a lush time at the festival last weekend, despite the occasional rain shower.”
04a heavy drinker
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Informal · Slang
n. a person who drinks too much alcohol very often.
n. a person who habitually consumes alcohol to excess.
“He has been a bit of a lush since he lost his job last year.”
“The character was portrayed as a harmless neighborhood lush, though the underlying themes of the play were much darker.”
Usage
Usually carries a negative or mocking tone.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“It’s hardly the lush setting usually needed to support growing pineapples.” Etymology
From Middle English lusch (“slack, relaxed, limp, loose”), from Old English lysċ, lesċ (“slack; limp”), from Proto-West Germanic laskw, from Proto-Germanic laskwaz (“weak, false, feeble”), from Proto-Indo-European lēy- (“to let; leave behind”). Akin to Old English lysu, lesu (“false, evil, base”), Middle Low German lasch (“slack”), Middle High German er-leswen (“to become weak”), Old Norse lǫskr (“weak, feeble”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍃𐌹𐍅𐍃 (lasiws, “weak, feeble”), Middle Low German las, lasich (“slack, languid, idle”), Low German lusch (“loose”). Doublet of lusk. More at lishey, lazy.
Perhaps a humorous use of the preceding word, or perhaps from Shelta lush (“food and drink”) (the sense "liquor" is older than the sense "drinker"). The Century Dictionary wrote that it was "said to be so called from one Lushington, a once well-known London brewer", but the Online Etymology Dictionary considers lushington (“drinker”) a humorous extension of lush instead.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
01. lush it up
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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