pastel

¹ American  

[pa-stel, pas-tl] / pæˈstɛl, ˈpæs tl /

noun

1. a color having a soft, subdued shade.

2. a kind of dried paste made of pigments ground with chalk and compounded with gum water.

3. a chalklike crayon made from such paste.

4. the art of drawing with such crayons.

5. a drawing so made.

6. a short, light prose study or sketch.

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adjective

1. having a soft, subdued shade.

2. drawn with pastels.

   a pastel portrait.

pastel ² American  

[pas-tel] / ˈpæs tɛl /

noun

1. the woad plant.

2. the dye made from it.

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pastel British  

/ pæˈstɛl, ˈpæstəl /

noun

1. 1. a substance made of ground pigment bound with gum, used for making sticks for drawing

   2. a crayon of this

   3. a drawing done in such crayons

2. the medium or technique of pastel drawing

3. a pale delicate colour

4. a light prose work, esp a poetic one

5. another name for woad

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adjective

1. (of a colour) pale; delicate

   pastel blue

Other Word Forms

• pastelist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pastel¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French, from Italian pastello, from Late Latin pastellus, variant of Latin pastillus pastille

Origin of pastel²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French pastel “woad,” from Provençal, from Medieval Latin pastellum (neuter) “woad” (originally “woad paste”), for Late Latin pastellus (masculine), diminutive of pasta paste

Explanation

A pastel is a soft, pale color. If your favorite shades are light blue and pale pink, you can say that you prefer pastels. Pastel is also an adjective describing a soft color, like a pastel shade of green or a pastel lavender dress. Another kind of pastel is the artist's crayon made of powdered pigments bound together in a solid stick, which produce soft, blended colors. Starting in the late 1800s, pastel was used to mean "soft shade" as well as "soft art medium." In French, pastel means "crayon."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pastel

She says if you are looking to replicate this trend, mix pastel colours, dreamy florals, and tactile materials to form "unexpected clashes" that "look really messy".

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Growing venture capital–backed consumer brands, like Blank Street Coffee and dentist office Tend, traded in neons for pastel greens.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

You can still find vestiges of that past in the cobbled alleyways lined with pastel townhouses once owned by sea captains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Standing inside her store, surrounded by pastel ballgowns decorated with lace and rhinestones, Leonor felt optimistic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

I close my eyes for a moment, night turns to day, and suddenly it’s Dr. Poirot in front of me instead of the pastel.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• delicate