scarlet
Americannoun
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a bright-red color inclining toward orange.
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cloth or clothing of this color.
adjective
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of the color scarlet.
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flagrantly offensive.
Their sins were scarlet.
noun
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a vivid red colour, sometimes with an orange tinge
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cloth or clothing of this colour
adjective
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of the colour scarlet
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sinful or immoral, esp unchaste
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of scarlet
1200–50; Middle English < Old French escarlate < Medieval Latin scarlata, scarletum, perhaps < Arabic saqirlāṭ, siqillāṭ < Medieval Greek sigillátos < Latin sigillātus decorated with patterns in relief; see sigillate
Explanation
Use the adjective scarlet to describe things that are a deep, rich red color, like a robin's breast or a wild strawberry. Some things are such a vivid shade that red doesn't seem to be quite accurate — scarlet is the perfect word to use for them. Blood is scarlet, and so are rubies and ripe cherries and some brilliant red roses. You can also use scarlet as a noun, to talk about the color itself: "My favorite painter uses a lot of scarlet." In the mid-13th century, scarlet simply meant "rich cloth," which might have been the color scarlet or some other color entirely.
Vocabulary lists containing scarlet
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.
A few began treating him with observable disdain, including the English teacher who had us read “The Scarlet Letter.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
“The Scarlet Flower” ends with a young couple moving past a dark curse to live happily ever after.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Scarlet Rose Stallone, daughter of veteran actor Sylvester, was named worst supporting actress for Western film Gunslingers.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
Younger staffers who wanted to mix with fellow conservatives would go drink at places like Scarlet Oak or Bullfeathers or do expense-account meals at the Capitol Grille.
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026
In comparison, the first runs of popular books in the 1850s, The Scarlet Letter or Moby-Dick for example, were less than 3,000 copies.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
