colored
Americanadjective
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having color.
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Older Use: Offensive. belonging wholly or in part to any group of nonwhite people, especially to Black people.
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Older Use: Offensive. pertaining to Black people.
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influenced or biased.
colored opinions.
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The authorities detected a colored quality in her statement.
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Botany. of some hue other than green.
noun
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Older Use: Offensive.
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a Black person.
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the colored, Black people as a group.
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Sensitive Note
See Black 1.
Usage
Spelling tips for colored The word colored is hard to spell for three reasons. First, it can be tempting to use a double l or double r. Second, in British English, the word is spelled with a u (colored), unlike in American English. Finally, the ending -ed is pronounced simply [ d ], so one may forget the e. How to spell colored: When it comes to color, keep it simple. You don't need any extra letters, like a double l, double r, or u. For adjectives like colored that end with the sound [ d ], remember that you will always need a little Extra (e) to get it Done, -ed.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of colored
A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at color, -ed 3
Vocabulary lists containing colored
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The colored people have a right to defend themselves,” Hanway had replied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Blazo’s research shows that when sibling dynamics are colored by hostility and toxic comparisons, younger siblings experience “differentiation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
It would be easy to look at all of this — the card tables, homemade jingles, wagons stacked with brightly colored boxes — and see only an exceptionally cute American ritual.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
But Purcell isn’t the only systems failure that has colored Supreme Court elections cases of late.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Even the darkness couldn’t hide the blush that colored his cheeks.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
