colored

American  

[kuhl-erd] / ˈkʌl ərd /

adjective

1. having color.

2. Older Use: Offensive. belonging wholly or in part to any group of nonwhite people, especially to Black people.

3. Older Use: Offensive. pertaining to Black people.

4. influenced or biased.

   colored opinions.

5. specious; deceptive.

   The authorities detected a colored quality in her statement.

6. Botany. of some hue other than green.

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noun

1. Older Use: Offensive.

   1. a Black person.

   2. the colored, Black people as a group.

2. Cape Colored.

Sensitive Note

See Black ¹.

Usage

Spelling tips for colored The word colored is hard to spell for three reasons. First, it can be tempting to use a double l or double r. Second, in British English, the word is spelled with a u (colored), unlike in American English. Finally, the ending -ed is pronounced simply [ d ], so one may forget the e. How to spell colored: When it comes to color, keep it simple. You don't need any extra letters, like a double l, double r, or u. For adjectives like colored that end with the sound [ d ], remember that you will always need a little Extra (e) to get it Done, -ed.

Other Word Forms

• half-colored
  adjective
• uncolored
  adjective
• uncoloredly
  adverb
• uncoloredness
  noun
• undercolored
  adjective
• well-colored
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of colored

A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at color, -ed ³

Example Sentences

A murmuring, echoing chorus of the dead surrounds the central platform; they wear brilliantly colored, Mexican-inspired costumes designed by Mr. Bausor and Wilberth Gonzalez.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

And then there is his voice — perhaps at its most ravishing on “Take Care of Yourself,” a ballad from his 2011 album “Bella” — at once fierce and tender, colored by longing and loss.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

Swiping through a dozen or so brightly colored cards, I’m told, in what supposedly constitutes a “framework shift”: “You have a good kid.”

From Slate • May 10, 2026

The incident, he said, has colored the rest of his life.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

She spread some colored paper on Sadako’s bed.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr