Showing results for "colored"

• past participle of color.
• past tense form of color.

colored

American  

[kuhl-erd] / ˈkʌl ərd /

adjective

1. having color.

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

3. Older Use: Offensive. pertaining to Black people.

4. influenced or biased.

   colored opinions.

5. specious; deceptive.

   The authorities detected a colored quality in her statement.

6. Botany. of some hue other than green.

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noun

1. Older Use: Offensive.

   1. a Black person.

   2. the colored, Black people as a group.

2. Cape Colored.

Sensitivity

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

• uncoloredness
  noun
• half-colored
  adjective
• uncolored
  adjective
• undercolored
  adjective
• well-colored
  adjective
• uncoloredly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of colored

A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at color, -ed ³

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colored

The skull had also been colored with cinnabar, a bright red pigment commonly used in ancient Peruvian funerary traditions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 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

Artificial food dyes, too, are hard to do without, because consumers reliably prefer brightly colored foods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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

“The Incorrigibles have very strikingly colored hair,” she said thoughtfully, gazing down at the three tousled heads.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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