mauve
Americannoun
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a pale bluish purple.
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a purple dye obtained from aniline, discovered in 1856: the first of the coal-tar dyes.
adjective
noun
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any of various pale to moderate pinkish-purple or bluish-purple colours
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( as adjective )
a mauve flower
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Also called: Perkin's mauve. mauveine. a reddish-purple aniline dye
Etymology
Origin of mauve
1855–60; < French: literally, mallow < Latin malva mallow
Explanation
Mauve is a pale, grayish-purple color. Despite how people often pronounce it, mauve should rhyme with “stove.” Mauve is a relative of purple, violet, or lilac. It shows up in sunsets, on colorful birds and flowers, and sometimes on bridesmaids’ dresses. Mauve is French for “mallow,” and was first used to describe a dye made from a mallow plant. Guess what color runs through the flowers of a mallow plant? That’s right — it’s mauve!
Vocabulary lists containing mauve
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Purple
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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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.
Her lips are a neutral dusty mauve, her bass guitar a lustrous red.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
Del Toro, 21, won the white jersey for best young rider, Denmark's Mads Pedersen claimed the mauve points classification jersey and Italy's Lorenzo Fortunato took the blue mountains classification jersey.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025
She also made one for herself in something of a mauve color that my sister has and which she gave to me first thing after the fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025
Anyone over the age of 45 will likely remember the “it” colors of the 1980s — black and mauve.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
With a shock he saw Mr. Grin standing in the hallway, looking hideous with his white face, his ginger hair, and his mauve twisted smile.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
