colorist

American  

[kuhl-er-ist] / ˈkʌl ər ɪst /

noun

• colorists
  plural

1. a person who uses color skillfully.

2. a painter who emphasizes color relationships in a work of art.

3. a person who colors photographs.

4. a hairdresser who is skilled in coloring or tinting hair.

5. a musical performer or composer who is skilled in bringing musical color.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coloristic
  adjective
• coloristically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colorists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of colorist

1680–90; color + -ist; compare French coloriste

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colorist colorists

The restoration on the Mills Act Property, which provides tax incentives to upkeep historic homes, has required an ecosystem of experts, including a colorist and curatorial rug merchant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Bessette’s former hair colorist, Brad Johns, reflected on the wig’s hair color as “burnt” and ashy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

And they show off Agar’s brilliance as a colorist — which was unusual for her generation of British artists — and perhaps indebted to Matisse.

From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

Most of “Pour, Tear, Carve” carries the Phillips far from the impressionist and colorist works for which it’s best known.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023

A good colorist will get color any way.

From The Painter in Oil A complete treatise on the principles and technique necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst

As he hoped, naturalists found the guide indispensable, as did designers, stamp collectors, and food colorists.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 7, 2023

It hired five barbers and colorists, compared with the lone barber and colorist from 2017.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2023

The result is "Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds," a 96-page book produced by the best writers, artists, colorists, letterers, designers and editors that Dunbier could find.

From Reuters ● Apr. 21, 2022

If you’ve never given into the urge to dye your own hair, let’s just say there’s a reason colorists exist.

From The Verge ● Jan. 3, 2022

Although there are many expert colorists who require an accurate artificial daylight, there are vast fields of lighting where a less accurate daylight quality is necessary.

From Artificial Light Its Influence upon Civilization by Matthew Luckiesh

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