the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.
the natural appearance of the skin, especially of the face; complexion.
She has a lovely color.
a ruddy complexion.
The wind and sun had given color to the sailor's face.
a blush.
His remarks brought the color to her face.
vivid or distinctive quality, as of a literary work.
Melville's description of a whaling voyage is full of color.
details in description, customs, speech, habits, etc., of a place or period.
The novel takes place in New Orleans and contains much local color.
something that is used for coloring; pigment; paint; tint; dye.
background information, as anecdotes about players or competitors or analyses of plays, strategy, or performance, given by a sportscaster to heighten interest in a sportscast.
colors,
any distinctive color or combination or pattern of colors, especially of a badge, ribbon, uniform, or the like, worn or displayed as a symbol of or to identify allegiance to, membership in, or sponsorship by a school, group, or organization.
nature, viewpoint, or attitude; character; personality.
His behavior in a crisis revealed his true colors.
a flag, ensign, etc., particularly the national flag.
U.S. Navy. the ceremony of hoisting the national flag at 8 a.m. and of lowering it at sunset.
skin complexion as a characteristic of a particular people or ethnic group, especially when other than white: a person of color; a man of color; children of color.
one's religion and color;
a person of color;
people of color;
a man of color;
alumni of color;
children of color.
outward appearance or aspect; guise or show.
It was a lie, but it had the color of the truth.
a pretext.
She did it under the color of doing a good deed.
Painting. the general use or effect of the pigments in a picture.
Phonetics. timbre.
Chiefly Law. an apparent or prima facie right or ground.
to hold possession under color of title.
Music. tone color.
a trace or particle of valuable mineral, especially gold, as shown by washing auriferous gravel.
Physics. any of the labels red, green, or blue that designate the three states in which quarks are expected to exist, or any of the corresponding labels for antiquark states.
Printing. the amount of ink used.
Heraldry. a tincture other than a fur or metal, usually including gules, azure, vert, sable, and purpure.
call to the colors, to summon for service in the armed forces.
Thousands are being called to the colors.
change color,
to blush as from embarrassment.
to turn pale, as from fear.
When he saw the size of his opponent, he changed color.
with flying colors. flying colors.
of color, belonging to a racial or ethnic group that is not white and generally not associated with European descent or not characterized by slight or light pigmentation of the skin; nonwhite.
Women of color have higher gendered wage gaps than white women.
The program is aimed at supporting children of color with an interest in acting.
People of color are often underrepresented in the sciences.
The sensation produced by the effect of light waves striking the retina of the eye. The color of something depends mainly on which wavelengths of light it emits, reflects, or transmits.
Color charge.
See also hadron
See -or 1.
See black.
When beams of colored light are mixed, or added, their wavelengths combine to form other colors. All spectral colors can be formed by mixing wavelengths corresponding to the additive primaries red, green, and blue. When two of the additive primaries are mixed in equal proportion, they form the complement of the third. Thus cyan (a mixture of green and blue) is the complement of red; magenta (a mixture of blue and red) is the complement of green; and yellow (a mixture of red and green) is the complement of blue. Mixing the three additive primaries in equal proportions reconstitutes white light. When light passes through a color filter, certain wavelengths are absorbed, or subtracted, while others are transmitted. The subtractive primaries cyan, magenta, and yellow can be combined using overlapping filters to form all other colors. When two of the subtractive primaries are combined in equal proportion, they form the additive primary whose wavelength they share. Thus overlapping filters of cyan (blue and green) and magenta (blue and red) filter out all wavelengths except blue; magenta (blue and red) and yellow (red and green) transmit only red; and yellow (red and green) and cyan (blue and green) transmit only green. Combining all three subtractive primaries in equal proportions filters out all wavelengths, producing black. Light striking a colored surface behaves similarly to light passing through a filter, with certain wavelengths being absorbed and others reflected. Pigments are combined to form different colors by a process of subtractive absorption of various wavelengths.
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English col(o)ur, from Anglo-French ( French couleur ), from Latin colōr- (stem of color ) “hue”
From the Latin word colōrētur
You may think the word color just means blue, pink, and the like, but the word can also refer to something of interest, especially of culture or behavior. If you want to see some local color in an Irish town, you should head to the pub where all the locals hang out. As a verb, color can mean to give bias to something. A bad experience on the first day of school will color how you feel about school for the rest of the year. Another meaning of the verb color is to misrepresent or deceive. If someone colors their telling of a story in which they brought a cat down from a tree, they may make it seem like they rescued two little kids, three kittens and a parrot from a burning building.
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He pioneered the technique of glazed terracotta, producing reliefs featuring white figures set against blue backdrops whose lustrous surfaces and rich hues gave color a new role in sculpture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Featuring young performers of color in custom costumes and his own dub soundtrack, the short process film offers “another way to bridge that gap” between past and present, one culture and another, Cooks said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin brings out the score’s color and propulsion, and the excellent Met Opera chorus creates the seething world of the dead, occasionally playing kazoos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
At one party, a neighbor of mine, a tattoo artist who had no tattoos of his own, generously lent me four tufted beanbags in a demure oatmeal color.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Bird feeders of every shape and color dangle from the awning, and a faded porch swing rocks in the breeze.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
"I love color. I love painting. I love shapes. I love composition. I love the people all around me. I'm adoring it all. My legacy is in the hands of other people."
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We had to imagine what these environments would be like in color. And for that we used all the movies that were shot in the ’50s or early ’60s about that period, the ’20s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
"Our study also revealed that the nasal appendages can change quickly in terms of length, shape, and color. Their evolution is possibly driven by the respective preferences of females in mate selection."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2025
“Because it’s so simple, tiny little details will change the texture or the flavor or the color. It could just be, like, the humidity in the room.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
“It’s not easy to do what your dad did, writing the name of one color with another color. It doesn’t come naturally.”
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
As a result, the light escaping from a white dwarf can take on colors that would not normally be expected based on temperature alone.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
However, scientists have now found that these stellar remnants can produce a much broader spectrum of colors.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
On tabletops with less abstract design, such as one with a skull depicted, differences in glazing and firing mean there are variations in the hue and colors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The startup Manus AI, which Meta once sought to buy, has its own platform for organizing a team of big-eyed AI avatars which, like Dots, come in various shapes and colors and can emote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
Why the sky glows with a whole rainbow of colors near the poles of the earth is a fascinating question, but for once Penelope did not wonder why.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Although this represents a relatively small percentage, it suggests that enormous numbers of strangely colored stellar remnants exist across the cosmos.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Dots, however, were pitched as brightly colored cute cartoons meant to function as digital assistants for people with busy lives.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
During his decades-long career, Max created brightly colored graphic images and was credited with capturing the essence of the 1960s "summer of love" and psychedelia.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
“U.S. shoppers are seemingly turning back to bold — big gold pieces, chunky chains, big colored gemstone pieces and cocktail rings, that kind of thing,” she said over email.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Jeremy, watching Tiamat warily, doubted that anyone would believe a sixth grader who colored grass pink was doing anything but having fun.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Cooler white dwarfs with atmospheres containing both hydrogen and helium can develop cyan or pale blue coloring.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
In the news release, Schroeder likened the insects’ coloring — pale yellow with red accents — to Swift’s “iconic” blonde hair and red lips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Over the last few days, we have experienced an unforeseen and highly unusual decline in the coloring of our putting surfaces,” the email sent Thursday morning said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Helen Guedez and her brother have chosen to disregard the ominous letter coloring the wall of the building that previously housed their dad, sister and grandmother.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The coloring was light, clearly a draft done to block out scenes and placements.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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