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• violet
  violet

  noun

  any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.
• Violet
  Violet

  noun

  a female given name.

violet

¹ American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

noun

• violets
  plural

1. any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.

2. any such plant except the pansy and the viola.

3. the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

4. any of various similar plants of other genera.

5. 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.

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adjective

1. of the color violet; reddish-blue.

   violet hats.

Violet ² American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

Also Violette

noun

1. a female given name.

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violet British  

/ ˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

1. 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

2. any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet

4. 1. 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

   2. ( as adjective )

      a violet dress

5. a dye or pigment of or producing these colours

6. violet clothing

   dressed in violet

7. informal a shy person

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violet Idioms  

1. see shrinking violet.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• violet-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• violets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violet

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; see -et

Explanation

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

violet Violet violets

Previous experiments in mice had indicated that violet light near 380 nanometers could reduce myopia.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Suddenly, the world is plunged into an eerie, violet darkness.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

But in 1981 Life Savers was sold to Nabisco, and Choc-O-Mint was “retired,” along with cinnamon, violet and older versions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

At Bird & Blend, black tea - which includes flavours like chocolate digestive and violet cream - is lined up alongside rooibos, chai, matcha and other teas.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

When the door finally swings open, Chandresh himself stands behind it, his violet shirt untucked and a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

“Apart from the music, I just think it’s a really beautiful way to kind of show young people still care, as much as the other generations did, about the world,” Violet said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

As a musical theater student, Violet was most stoked to see Chappell Roan’s operatic rock show — “we really need a ‘Femininomenon,’” she said, citing Roan’s hit song from 2022, which combines “feminine” and “phenomenon.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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

Violet ended up going to Italy where she learnt the language and "did good works", said her great-niece, adding: "It was that kind of age where rich people gave alms to the poor."

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

“The Baudelaire fortune,” he said sternly, “will not be used for such matters. In fact, it will not be used at all, until Violet is of age.”

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

The color palette is dominated by greens, blues and violets toward the east, marking the sun’s rise, and reds, oranges and golds to the west.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Use a cosmetic brush to clean the fuzzy leaves of plants like African violets.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

Her poems are powerful and dangerous, like violets pushing through concrete to kiss the sun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

The statue and a memorial were defaced this month at Croome, a 700-acre property that is home to a mansion and two castles as well as violets, tulips and bluebells.

From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2023

On the uplands the grass would be strewn with buttercups, with hen-and-chickens, with black-centered yellow violets.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

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• lilac
• mauve
• periwinkle
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