lilac
Americannoun
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lilacs
plural
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any of various shrubs belonging to the genus Syringa, of the olive family, as S. vulgaris, having large clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers: the state flower of New Hampshire.
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pale reddish purple.
adjective
noun
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Also called: syringa. any of various Eurasian oleaceous shrubs or small trees of the genus Syringa, esp S. vulgaris ( common lilac ) which has large sprays of purple or white fragrant flowers
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another name for goat's-rue
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a light or moderate purple colour, sometimes with a bluish or reddish tinge
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( as adjective )
a lilac carpet
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lilac
First recorded in 1615–25; from obsolete French, from Spanish, from Arabic līlak, from Persian līlak, assimilated variant of nīlak “bluish,” equivalent to nīl “blue, indigo” (from Sanskrit nīla ) + -ak a suffix indicating relationship or origin
Vocabulary lists containing lilac
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Purple
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Example Sentences
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See Examples For:
That’s no small attraction, though, for the multiplicity of hues—cerulean, lilac, coral, seafoam, sienna—are hypnotically rendered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The White House said the decor was inspired by English gardens, with the room featuring towering trees and blossoming boxes of lilac.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Infiniti oozed glamour in a lilac sleeveless Louis Vuitton dress with a fitted bodice and a cascade of ruffles tumbling from her hip to the floor, creating a long train.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
The duo stared up in the sky as dozens of lilac balloons burst into the sky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025
The lilac walls have a few artsy prints on them.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
At Chiswick, staff were watering drooping camellias and lilacs, shrubs that normally thrive in sun.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Follow your nose through a garden, and pay attention to what memories are triggered: spring lilacs and newly turned soil, freshly cut lawn and lazy summer days perfumed with lavender, the damp decay of autumn.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
She described her childhood within the island's forested expanse, making dirt-pies and chasing garter snakes next to "fragrant purple lilacs, sour grapes in vines strangling the trunks of tart green apple trees".
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2023
This almost fluorescent purple-red beauty has aromas of berries, pomegranate and smoke embracing violets and lilacs.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2022
We ran past the red tulips in front of Saint Adelbert’s and the white lilacs in front of Temple Beth-El.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
