any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.
any such plant except the pansy and the viola.
the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
any of various similar plants of other genera.
reddish-blue, a color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red, an effect of light with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers.
any of various temperate perennial herbaceous plants of the violaceous genus Viola, such as V. odorata ( sweet (or garden ) violet ), typically having mauve or bluish flowers with irregular showy petals
any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy
any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet
any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same purplish-blue hue. They lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to blue; approximate wavelength range 445–390 nanometres
( as adjective )
a violet dress
a dye or pigment of or producing these colours
violet clothing
dressed in violet
informal a shy person
violet flower A violet is a flower known for its vibrant bluish-purple color (the basis of the name of the color violet). The name violet can refer to any flower in the genus Viola, some of which are other colors (including blue, yellow, and white) or are variegated. The most well-known variety is called the common blue violet. The violet family contains many different species of plants, including trees and shrubs. The violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. It’s also one of the February birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Violets are often said to represent modesty. The idiom shrinking violet refers to someone who is shy or (overly) modest. Example: For my birthday, my wife always gives me a bouquet of beautiful violets.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; see -et
Roses are red, violets are blue...actually, violets are closer to purple — but purple doesn't rhyme with anything. The word violet can refer either to a purplish-blue color or to the tiny flower of that color. On the color spectrum, violet is a variation on purple that sits a bit closer to blue than red. The color violet comes from the flower name, which is rooted in the Latin viola. The violet is a plant with small flowers that vary in color from pale violet to dark blue, as well as white. If you're coloring violets in a coloring book, you can choose the violet crayon!
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Their daughters, Hazel and Violet, both act in school plays and have started to love visiting their parents on set.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Cordelia Violet Paap, a 12th-grader and student body president at Tallinn Pelgulinna State, delivered a poem railing against AI before a school talent show in March.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Pitcher Violet Ascencio struck out 13 to lead Venice High to a 7-2 win over Eagle Rock in the City Section Division I softball championship game on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
The title of Violet Grohl’s debut album, “Be Sweet to Me,” started as an inside joke.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Her mama and papa had died when she was eighteen, and she stayed on the farm, keeping a few animals, selling herbs like Violet and I do.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
