full-blown

English

Etymology 1

From full +‎ blown, past participle of blow (“to blossom”).

Adjective

full-blown (comparative more full-blown, superlative most full-blown)

1. (figuratively) Completely developed or formed.

   Synonyms: full-fledged, full-bore, full-on

   Antonyms: unfledged, incipient

   We are in the midst of a full-blown crisis.

   • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter II, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter II, pages 16–17:

     Solicitor—for just before leaving London I got word that my examination was successful; and I am now a full-blown solicitor!

   • 2012, Lydia Pyne, Stephen J. Pyne, The Last Lost World, Penguin, →ISBN:

     The Little Ice Age that chilled Europe […] should, according to past precedents, have snowballed into a full-blown ice age.

   • 2013, Lawrence Wright, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, in Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, part II (Hollywood), page 262:

     Speaking in full-blown Scientologese, he [Mark Rathbun] wrote, “The end result is unmocked org form, overworked and enturbulated executives and staff.”

2. (literally) At the peak of blossom; ripe.

   The trees in the garden were resplendent with full-blown white gardenias.

   • 1785, William Cowper, “Book I. The Sofa.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson;  […], →OCLC, page 3:

     There might ye ſee the pioney ſpread vvide, / The full-blovvn roſe, the ſhepherd and his laſs, / Lap-dog and lambkin vvith black ſtaring eyes, / And parrots vvith tvvin cherries in their beak.

   • 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter VII, in Mansfield Park: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:

     “Fanny has been cutting roses, has she?” “Yes, and I am afraid they will be the last this year. Poor thing! She found it hot enough; but they were so full-blown that one could not wait.”

   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter L, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:

     Above, Jupiter hung like a full-blown jonquil, so bright as almost to throw a shade.

   • 1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The God of Tarzan”, in Jungle Tales of Tarzan‎^[1]:

     What made the flower open? What made it grow from a tiny bud to a full-blown bloom? Why was it at all? Why was he?

Translations

completely developed or formed — see also out-and-out

• German: voll entfaltet, (colloquial) vollendet (de), ausgewachsen (de), komplett (de)
• Italian: in piena regola
• Russian: настоящий (ru) (nastojaščij), форменный (ru) (formennyj)
• Turkish: tam gelişmiş (tr)

at the peak of blossom

• German: in voller Blüte, voll aufgeblüht
• Swedish: fullt utslagen
• Turkish: tamamen açılmış (tr)/açmış (tr)

Etymology 2

From full +‎ blown, past participle of blow (“to produce an air current”).

Adjective

full-blown (comparative more full-blown, superlative most full-blown)

1. Filled with wind; puffed up.

   The schooner took to sea with full-blown sails.

Translations

filled with wind

• German: vollgeblasen
• Turkish: tamamen şişmiş

References

• “full-blown”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “full-blown”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.