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

After watching Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” a period piece about slavery starring Will Smith, the director decided on a desaturated look for the film that would reflect the emotional state of the kids’ reality.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

“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