General words used to describe colors
ablaze ADJECTIVE
bright and full of light or color
bleached ADJECTIVE
made very pale by chemicals or strong sunlight
bold ADJECTIVE
very bright, clear, or strong in color and therefore easy to notice
brash ADJECTIVE
big, bright, or colorful in a way that is not attractive
bright ADJECTIVE
bright colors are strong but not dark
chintzy ADJECTIVE
too colorful and in poor taste
clean ADJECTIVE
clean smells, tastes, and colors are light and fresh
cold ADJECTIVE
cold colors are colors such as white, blue, and gray that make you think of things that are cold
color-coded ADJECTIVE
using colors to make different things easy to recognize
colored ADJECTIVE
red, green, blue, etc. rather than transparent or black or white
colorful ADJECTIVE
something that is colorful has bright colors or a lot of different colors
colorless ADJECTIVE
something that is colorless has no color
coloured
the British spelling of colored1
colourful
the British spelling of colorful
colourless
the British spelling of colorless
cool ADJECTIVE
cool colors, such as white and blue, give an idea of cold instead of heat
dappled ADJECTIVE
covered with or forming areas of lighter and darker color or light and shadow
dark ADJECTIVE
strong and not pale in color
darkly ADVERB
in a dark color
deep ADJECTIVE
a deep color is dark and strong
delicate ADJECTIVE
a delicate taste, smell, or color is pleasant and not too strong
delicately ADVERB
in a way that is pleasant and not too strong in flavor, smell, or color
discolored ADJECTIVE
something that is discolored has changed in color and no longer looks new, clean, or healthy
discoloured
the British spelling of discolored
dusty ADJECTIVE
used for describing a color that is not bright because it has some gray in it
fast ADJECTIVE
colors that are fast will not become paler when clothes are washed
festive ADJECTIVE
bright and colorful in a way that makes you think of a celebration
fiery ADJECTIVE
very bright in color, especially bright red, orange, or yellow
flamboyant ADJECTIVE
brightly colored or decorated
flaming ADJECTIVE
brightly colored red, orange, or yellow
fluorescent ADJECTIVE
a fluorescent color is very bright and seems to reflect light
fresh ADJECTIVE
used about colors
gaily ADVERB
with bright attractive colors
gay ADJECTIVE
brightly-colored or attractive
glowing ADJECTIVE
glowing colors are bright and look warm
harmonious ADJECTIVE
harmonious colors or parts combine well with each other
harsh ADJECTIVE
harsh colors or lights are not pleasant because they are very bright
in ADJECTIVE
used for saying what color decorations, clothes, etc. are
iridescent ADJECTIVE
showing changing colors in different types of light
jazzy ADJECTIVE
bright, colorful, and attractive
light ADJECTIVE
pale in color, not dark
loud
loud ADJECTIVE
very bright in a way that does not show good taste
matching ADJECTIVE
with the same color, pattern, or design
medium ADJECTIVE
neither light nor dark in color
mellow ADJECTIVE
soft and warm in color
monochrome ADJECTIVE
able to show or produce only black, white, and gray
monochrome ADJECTIVE
not brightly colored and usually gray in color
monotone ADJECTIVE
a monotone color is all the same shade of that color
multicolored
consisting of many different colors
multicoloured
the British spelling of multicolored
muted ADJECTIVE
not as bright or colorful as usual
neutral ADJECTIVE
neutral colors are not very strong or bright
neutral NOUN
a neutral color
opalescent ADJECTIVE
something that is opalescent seems always to be changing color slightly
pastel ADJECTIVE
having a pale soft color
pastel NOUN
a pale soft color
psychedelic ADJECTIVE
psychedelic clothes, designs, etc. are very brightly colored and have big unusual patterns
pure ADJECTIVE
a pure sound, color, light, etc. is very clear and beautiful
restrained ADJECTIVE
not too bright in color, or not decorated too much
rich ADJECTIVE
a rich color, sound, or smell is strong in a pleasant way
sepia ADJECTIVE
sepia photographs are old and are a red-brown color
showy ADJECTIVE
brightly colored and attractive
sickly ADJECTIVE
a sickly color is so pale that is looks unpleasant
sober ADJECTIVE
plain and not brightly colored
soft ADJECTIVE
a soft light or color is pale, gentle and pleasant to look at
somber
somber ADJECTIVE
dark in color, especially gray or black
sombre
the British spelling of somber
splashy ADJECTIVE
brightly colored
tinged ADJECTIVE
something that is tinged with a color, feeling, or quality contains a small amount of it
tinted ADJECTIVE
containing a small amount of a particular color
tonal ADJECTIVE
relating to the tone of something, especially a color or sound
translucent ADJECTIVE
a translucent color is very pale or light
two-tone ADJECTIVE
two-tone shoes or clothes have two colors
vibrant ADJECTIVE
bright and colorful
violent ADJECTIVE
a violent color is very bright and almost painful to look at
vivid ADJECTIVE
a vivid color is strong and bright
warm ADJECTIVE
warm colors have red, orange, or yellow in them. Colors with blue or green in them are called cool colors
washed-out ADJECTIVE
washed-out clothes have lost a lot of their color because they have been washed so often
watery ADJECTIVE
pale, or not strong
colorfully ADVERB
faded ADJECTIVE
vibrantly ADVERB
vividly ADVERB
vividness NOUN
a riot of something
a lot of different bright colors together
pale blue/gray/pink etc.
something that is pale blue/gray/pink etc. is a lighter type of /blue/gray/pink etc. than usual
English version of thesaurus of ge neral w ords used to describe colors
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