colorist

American  

[kuhl-er-ist] / ˈkʌl ər ɪst /

noun

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 coloring or tinting hair.

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

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Other Word Forms

• coloristic adjective
• coloristically adverb

Etymology

Origin of colorist

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

Example Sentences

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

“I’ve seen more clients experiencing shedding and thinning over the past few years,” says Liz Jung, a Los Angeles-based hair colorist.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

Her picturesque character pieces — such as “Flame,” “Clouds” and “In Quiet Mood” — reveal a supreme colorist with an imaginative harmonic vocabulary and firm narrative sense.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2023

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

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 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 Parkhurst, Daniel Burleigh