painted
Americanadjective
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reproduced or represented in paint.
a painted image.
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covered with a coating of paint.
a painted chair.
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unreal; artificial; feigned.
a painted life.
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exaggerated or misrepresented.
a luridly painted version of what really happened.
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covered with makeup, especially to excess.
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brightly colored or multicolored (used in combinations).
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of painted
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at paint, -ed 2
Explanation
Anything that's painted is either covered or decorated with paint. Brightly painted walls can cheer up a room that would otherwise be dark and dull. Your colorfully painted kitchen chairs are coated with different shades of paint, and your painted fingernails might be dabbed with shiny silver nail polish. Several types of animals are also painted because they have bright or varied stripes of color on their bodies — like painted turtles' colorful shells and painted storks' bright feathers. Painted comes from paint and its Latin root, pingere, "to paint, embroider, or tattoo."
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.
Reports have painted a picture of a decidedly low-key existence for the actor on the island, with Carrey spending his time reading, writing, walking, painting, and sketching.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
A draft scorecard published in July painted a mixed picture of progress.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
She painted it in dark hues, with a brownish-red barn, a gray-blue sky and a deep-green mountain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The original clear stain was later painted a light green, then a dark green, then blue and is now back to green.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
It was a map, painted in exquisitely small brushstrokes on thick vellum.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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