local color

American  

noun

1. distinctive, sometimes picturesque characteristics or peculiarities of a place or period as represented in literature or drama, or as observed in reality.

2. Fine Arts. the natural color of a particular object as it appears in normal light.

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Etymology

Origin of local color

First recorded in 1715–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

local color

He models himself on his father, whom he lives to impress, and points out at every opportunity that he has a business degree from “prestigious” Drexel University — Philadelphia local color.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025

This moody neo-noir is peppered with car chases and local color, though it’s primarily a character study, about a man forced by circumstance to confront the failures of his past.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024

Hughes also predicted that global diets will become more uniform, since the loss of agricultural and livestock variety will lead to a loss of local color in diets.

From Salon ● May 4, 2023

Vividly filmed with vibrant local color and nonprofessional actors, it movingly captures a clandestine sisterhood in a male-controlled society.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2021

They’re tourists, from Japan it looks like, a trade delegation perhaps, on a tour of the historic landmarks or out for local color.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

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