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Showing results for coloration. Search instead for colouration.
Synonyms

coloration

American  
[kuhl-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌkʌl əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. appearance with regard to color arrangement or use of colors; coloring.

    the bold coloration of some birds.


coloration British  
/ ˌkʌləˈreɪʃən /

noun

  1. arrangement of colour and tones; colouring

  2. the colouring or markings of insects, birds, etc See also apatetic aposematic cryptic

  3. unwanted extraneous variations in the frequency response of a loudspeaker or listening environment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of coloration

First recorded in 1605–15; color + -ation

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.

See Examples For:

In response, crews reportedly used hydrogen peroxide treatments to address water quality issues, restoring just the outer rim of the pool to its blue coloration while leaving other areas still very green in appearance.

From Salon Jun. 19, 2026

Rather, “bald” comes from the old English word “piebald,” which is still used today for horses, and means coloration of alternating dark and light.

From Slate Feb. 21, 2026

Instead, it results from structural coloration, which occurs when light interacts with tiny structures at the nanoscale.

From Science Daily Feb. 9, 2026

And yet atollas gain their reddish coloration from pigments called porphyrins, which don’t absorb blue light all that well and which, if exposed to bright light, emit toxins.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 21, 2025

It is a protective coloration children utilize for their safety.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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