protective coloration

American  

noun

1. coloration or anything likened to it that eliminates or reduces visibility or conspicuousness.

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protective coloration British  

noun

1. the coloration of an animal that enables it to blend with its surroundings and therefore escape the attention of predators

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Etymology

Origin of protective coloration

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Hair can also provide protective coloration or be part of social signaling, such as when an animal’s hair stands “on end.”

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Her turnout, a square-neck Oscar de la Renta dress and cropped sweater in wrenlike shades of gray and brown, offered a degree of protective coloration.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2013

The camouflage uniforms of Syrian commandos are peach and purple, which "must give excellent protective coloration in, say, a room full of Palm Beach divorcees in Lily Pulitzer dresses."

From Time Magazine Archive

For some of Europe's business leaders, the bigness of the Common Market offers welcome protective coloration.

From Time Magazine Archive

But even when the animals are in plain view, many have protective coloration, which acts as camouflage.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple