colorist

American  

[kuhl-er-ist] / ˈkʌl ər ɪst /

noun

1. a person who uses color skillfully.

2. a painter who emphasizes color relationships in a work of art.

3. a person who colors photographs.

4. a hairdresser who is skilled in coloring or tinting hair.

5. a musical performer or composer who is skilled in bringing musical color.

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Other Word Forms

• coloristic adjective
• coloristically adverb

Etymology

Origin of colorist

1680–90; color + -ist; compare French coloriste

Example Sentences

Excelling more as a draftsman than a colorist, Lam created his most compelling paintings in near monochrome or with a limited palette.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

“I’ve seen more clients experiencing shedding and thinning over the past few years,” says Liz Jung, a Los Angeles-based hair colorist.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

I realized how rich some of those pieces are, and made me think of him more as a colorist.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2024

Most of “Pour, Tear, Carve” carries the Phillips far from the impressionist and colorist works for which it’s best known.

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

A suggestion of the true manner in that late thing of yours, my boy, really, a hint of Dupré, and he was a colorist of the first rank.

From Ewing\'s Lady by Wilson, Harry Leon