monochrome
Americannoun
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a painting or drawing in different shades of a single color.
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the art or technique of producing such a painting or drawing.
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the state or condition of being painted, decorated, etc., in shades of a single color.
adjective
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being or made in the shades of a single color.
a blue monochrome seascape.
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having the images reproduced in tones of gray.
monochrome television.
noun
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a black-and-white photograph or transparency
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photog black and white
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a painting, drawing, etc, done in a range of tones of a single colour
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the technique or art of this
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(modifier) executed in or resembling monochrome
a monochrome print
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of monochrome
From the Medieval Latin word monochrōma, dating back to 1655–65. See mono-, -chrome
Explanation
Things that are monochrome have different tones or shades of only one color. If you prefer to use monochrome film, it means that you love black and white photography. Use the adjective monochrome to describe something that's a single color. If you've ever watched an old black-and-white movie, you know what monochrome film looks like. You can also call a black-and-white photograph a monochrome. The Greek root, monochromos, means "of a single color," from monos, "single or one," and khroma, "color." Originally, it referred to art drawn or painted in tones of one color.
Vocabulary lists containing monochrome
myPerspectives 7.4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Monochrome images taken in 1973 show London Victoria railway station frozen in time - an era of large sideburns and public lockers, platform tickets and boat trains to France and Belgium.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2025
Monochrome nickel gave a beautiful sheeny quality to a loosely tailored double-breasted coat — evoking the era of pre-War cinema.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2022
Monochrome multimedia installations, sculptures exploring the surveillance of people of color at the laundromat, live performances where she’s dousing herself in Fabuloso over bubblegum pink bars of Zote.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2021
In a nearby classroom, Monochrome Collective curator Nina O’Neil is showcasing local artist Reggie Black, who uses Japanese brushstroke techniques to paint messages of hope and inspiration.
From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2019
Let your eyes rest on the color of the Monochrome used, the current will then be complete.
From Supreme Personality by Croft, Delmer Eugene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
