blond

American  

[blond] / blɒnd /

adjective

blonder, blondest

1. (of hair, skin, etc.) light-colored.

   the child's soft blond curls.

2. (of a person) having light-colored hair and skin.

3. (of furniture wood) light in tone.

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noun

1. a blond person.

2. silk lace, originally unbleached but now often dyed any of various colors, especially white or black.

blond British  

/ blɒnd /

adjective

1. (of men's hair) of a light colour; fair

2. (of a person, people or a race) having fair hair, a light complexion, and, typically, blue or grey eyes

3. (of soft furnishings, wood, etc) light in colour

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noun

1. a person, esp a man, having light-coloured hair and skin

Spelling

See blonde.

Usage

What’s the difference between blond and blonde? Blond and blonde are both adjectives most commonly used to describe the color of light or yellowish hair or someone who has such hair. They can also both be used as nouns referring to a person with such hair, as in Should I make this character a blond or a redhead? They are pronounced exactly the same. But there is a difference: the spelling blonde is typically used in a gender-specific way to refer to or describe women and girls with this hair color. In contrast, the use of blond in a gender-neutral way is very common. And when the word is used as an adjective, this spelling is much more commonly used, regardless of the gender of the person whose hair color is being described.Blond and blonde derive from French, which has grammatical gender, meaning that some words end differently depending on whether they are applied to men or women (with e being the feminine ending). This happens in a few other pairs of words in English, like confidant and confidante, though in many cases the term without the e has become largely gender-neutral. This is the case with blond, which is the more commonly used of the two.When describing the colors of things other than hair, such as wood or coffee, only the spelling blond is used.When in doubt, remember that the spelling blond is appropriate in all cases.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between blond and blonde.

Other Word Forms

• blondish adjective
• blondness noun

Etymology

Origin of blond

First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French blonde “blond, light brown,” feminine of blond, from Germanic; akin to Old English blondenfeax “gray-haired,” Latin flāvus “yellow” ( flavo- )

Example Sentences

She has bleached blond hair, brown eyes and no tattoos.

From Los Angeles Times

I am grateful for a little blond boy, just over a year old with a funny, grave face.

From The Wall Street Journal

By the time Decca and tall, blond Boud approach “the great golden goal of every childhood—being a grownup,” they long for a different kind of life.

From The Wall Street Journal

I thought Alex was pretty cute in his light maroon jacket — the kind that’s perfect for those May gray evenings — and one that highlighted his wispy blond hair.

From Los Angeles Times

Pollock, showing off a shock of peroxide blond hair for the first time on the Test stage, took nine minutes to accessorise his new look with a try.

From BBC

Related Words

• bleached
• blonde
• golden