primrose
noun
any plant of the genus Primula, as P. vulgaris English primrose, of Europe, having yellow flowers, or P. sinensis Chinese primrose, of China, having flowers in a variety of colors.
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primrose
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Primrose
PrimrosenounArchibald Philip, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Rosebery, Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of.
primrose
1 American
[prim-rohz]
/ ˈprɪmˌroʊz /
noun
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primroses
plural
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any plant of the genus Primula, as P. vulgaris English primrose, of Europe, having yellow flowers, or P. sinensis Chinese primrose, of China, having flowers in a variety of colors.
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pale yellow.
adjective
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of or relating to the primrose.
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Also primrosed abounding in primroses.
a primrose garden.
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of a pale yellow.
Primrose
2
American
[prim-rohz]
/ ˈprɪmˌroʊz /
noun
primrose
British
/ ˈprɪmˌrəʊz /
noun
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any of various temperate primulaceous plants of the genus Primula, esp P. vulgaris of Europe, which has pale yellow flowers
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short for evening primrose
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Also called: primrose yellow. a light to moderate yellow, sometimes with a greenish tinge
adjective
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of, relating to, or abounding in primroses
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of the colour primrose
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pleasant or gay
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of primrose
1375–1425; late Middle English primerose < Medieval Latin prīma rosa first rose
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.
See Examples For:
"You can't argue with a primrose, they're absolutely glorious... red campions will flower all year round, and they are just so beneficial to all sorts of insects and wildlife," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
Sand verbena, desert sunflowers and desert primrose recently dazzled onlookers along Henderson Canyon Road in Borrego Springs, an area famed for wildflowers in San Diego County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
At field sites in eastern Washington, the researchers collected scent samples from pale evening primrose flowers.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 8, 2024
Compounds called nitrate radicals, which can be abundant in nighttime urban air, severely degrade the scent emitted by the pale evening primrose, reducing visits from pollinating hawk moths, researchers reported in Science on Thursday.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
The primrose did not mind it quite so much.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
White now volunteers with the charity at Primrose Hill in Sheffield, helping to reduce food waste while offering a space for conversation and connection.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Lescoulies’ cows were in Venice; a Mr. Martin kept his on Primrose Avenue in Hollywood, where the early farmhouse was lately priced at about $2 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
The Primrose Railway Children was filmed in and around Glasgow, the dramatic Scottish Highlands and the country's heritage railways.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024
With its idyllic Regency-style terrace houses, Chalcot Crescent has long caught the eye of the many visitors that descend on Primrose Hill.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024
Not since her week in Primrose Hill, typing out the novella, and what a foolish excitement that seemed now.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
After the long British winter, creamy primroses and pink campions push out from the banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
I have fond memories of the woods in Sussex, where I grew up, filling with primroses early in the year and carpeted with bluebells in the spring.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
The metal base would include a glass mosaic depicting yellow primroses on stems with leaves of many shades of green.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
Evening primroses are thin and crinkled with a tissue-like texture, which is one of my favorite textures to incorporate in my work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2022
A blue powdering of forget-me-nots and fine, fat yellow primroses punctuated the green of the slope as the two children walked up the hill toward the Frobishers’ little mausoleum.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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.
