colored

[ kuhl-erd ]

/ ˈkʌl ərd /

Save This Word!

adjective

having color.

Older Use: Offensive. belonging wholly or in part to any group of nonwhite people, especially to Black people.

Older Use: Offensive. pertaining to Black people.

influenced or biased: colored opinions.

specious; deceptive: The authorities detected a colored quality in her statement.

Botany. of some hue other than green.

noun

Older Use: Offensive.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

Meet Grammar Coach

Origin of colored

A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at color, -ed³

2, 3, 7. See Black¹.

half-colored, adjectiveun·col·ored, adjectiveun·col·ored·ly, adverbun·col·ored·ness, noun

un·der·col·ored, adjectivewell-colored, adjective

How do you celebrate when happy occasions are colored by loss and absence?
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I had this horrible secret and it colored everything I did,” said Roome.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Arab women wore their colored hejabs, and the non-Muslim women dressed modestly and without a veil.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil|Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not surprisingly, many Hongkongers have been taking taxis, which may also have colored some opinions.
Hong Kong Between Calm and Chaos|Ben Leung|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The massive inflatable structure is filled with multi-colored light and takes a prehistoric yet futuristic shape.
New York City’s New Mystery Art Piece|Sara Sayed|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He conceived an idea of securing agents among the colored people, and in that way effect a good sale.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
The clear, straw-colored fluid which is left after separation of the coagulum is called blood-serum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The intricate perforations of the lamp were inset with colored glass, and the result was a subdued and warm illumination.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
In the nine differently colored circular tracks, rolled little globes representing the planets.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe