floral

1 of 2

adjective

flo·​ral ˈflȯr-əl How to pronounce floral (audio)
Synonyms of floralnext
1
: of, relating to, or depicting flowers
a floral display
a floral design
a floral aroma
2
: of or relating to a flora
floral diversity

floral

2 of 2

noun

: a design or picture in which flowers predominate

Synonyms of floral

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of floral in a Sentence

Adjective a floral pattern in wallpaper The wine has a floral aroma.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The floral design has all the charm of your grandmother’s upholstered furniture, and it’s finished with riveted trim and rolled armrests perfect for any traditional space. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 10 Aug. 2026 Karyn was in bed, propped up on a pillow, very thin under her floral coverlet. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Noun
Another considered a deep-green leotard whose verdant shade complemented the florals of her wrap skirt. — Claire Salinda, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Leaning even more into the vintage patterns and textiles that shaped her inaugural capsule, the designer particularly emphasized florals applied in repeating motifs, geometric stripes, plaids, and checkered prints. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for floral

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

(sense 1) borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin flōrālis "blooming, like a flower," going back to Latin, "of the goddess Flora or her festival" (also neuter plural flōrālia as noun, "flower gardens"), from Flōra "the goddess Flora" + -ālis -al entry 1; (sense 2) flora + -al entry 1 — more at flora

Noun

derivative of floral entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of floral was in 1742

Phrases Containing floral

Rhymes for floral

See All Rhymes for floral

Browse Nearby Words

floraison
floral
floral element
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Floral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/floral. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

floral

adjective
flo·​ral
ˈflōr-əl, 
ˈflȯr-
: of or relating to flowers or a flora
a floral pattern in wallpaper

More from Merriam-Webster on floral

Nglish: Translation of floral for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All