desaturated

American  

[dee-sach-uh-rey-tid] / diˈsætʃ əˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. (of a color) formed by mixing a color of the spectrum with white.

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Etymology

Origin of desaturated

First recorded in 1910–15; de- + saturate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Maras and Ramsay make the wise choice to shoot the film with richly saturated color instead of the usual grayish, desaturated look often assigned to period pieces set in this era.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

“The desaturated approach also speaks to millennial color sensibilities, like Pepto-Bismol pink, pale yellows and other desaturated colors that have been the fad in recent years.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2023

I'm not going to make this look dirty, dusty and desaturated.

From Salon • May 26, 2023

The dour, desaturated palette gives “Women Talking” an appropriate air of timelessness but also saps vitality and visual interest from a frame that is taken up with — what else? — women talking.

From Washington Post • Jan. 4, 2023

“The Estate” features a desaturated color palette, and the production design looks shabby, even inside Hilda’s multimillion-dollar mansion.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2022