monochrome

American  

[mon-uh-krohm] / ˈmɒn əˌkroʊm /

noun

• monochromes
  plural

1. a painting or drawing in different shades of a single color.

2. the art or technique of producing such a painting or drawing.

3. the state or condition of being painted, decorated, etc., in shades of a single color.

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adjective

1. being or made in the shades of a single color.

   a blue monochrome seascape.

2. having the images reproduced in tones of gray.

   monochrome television.

monochrome British  

/ ˈmɒnəˌkrəʊm /

noun

1. a black-and-white photograph or transparency

2. photog black and white

3. 1. a painting, drawing, etc, done in a range of tones of a single colour

   2. the technique or art of this

4. (modifier) executed in or resembling monochrome

   a monochrome print

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adjective

1. devoid of any distinctive or stimulating characteristics

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monochromist
  noun
• monochromy
  noun
• monochromic
  adjective
• monochromical
  adjective
• monochromically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monochromes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of monochrome

From the Medieval Latin word monochrōma, dating back to 1655–65. See mono-, -chrome

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Explanation

Things that are monochrome have different tones or shades of only one color. If you prefer to use monochrome film, it means that you love black and white photography. Use the adjective monochrome to describe something that's a single color. If you've ever watched an old black-and-white movie, you know what monochrome film looks like. You can also call a black-and-white photograph a monochrome. The Greek root, monochromos, means "of a single color," from monos, "single or one," and khroma, "color." Originally, it referred to art drawn or painted in tones of one color.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monochrome monochromes

The director’s Oscar-nominated previous film, “Cold War,” was a decades-spanning love story packed into 88 minutes, and as such barely delved beneath its pristine, similarly monochrome surface.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

But he found each experience different: The monochrome was mysterious and dangerous, while the color was glamorous and romantic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

While they shot in black and white on set with a digital camera and customized image mapping, the conversion was done in parallel: colorizing the monochrome footage with different mapping and fine-tuning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

To demonstrate this precision, the researchers used a standard laser to create a microscopic monochrome portrait of Albert Einstein on a thin piece of the material, with points spaced just 700 nanometers apart.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026

My grandparents’ eyes glazed over at the sheer activity, streetcars rumbling, bells clanging, and the monochrome traffic swerving in and out.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

In Norway, Opie hoped to explore — and contribute to — the long history of blue in art, from Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period to Yves Klein’s monochromes and Derek Jarman’s elegiac film “Blue.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The catalog’s full-page reproductions, in spectacular colors or crepuscular monochromes, are frequently transporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The artist said that none of his monochromes resembled each other and were "of quite a different essence and atmosphere", according to Christie's.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025

From white and then black, the color palette exploded into fuchsia and pink, red and royal blue, with notes of gray, always in clean, studied monochromes.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

Instead of bookshelves, this wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

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Related Words

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