purplish

American  

[pur-plish] / ˈpɜr plɪʃ /

Or purply

adjective

1. of or having a somewhat purple hue.

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Other Word Forms

• purplishness noun

Etymology

Origin of purplish

First recorded in 1555–65; purple + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Rendered with atomic specks of red, blue and green that produce a darker purplish cast, its resonant effect is reinforced in the painted border Seurat added later, as he did to many of his seascapes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

“These are three candidates who really know Palm Springs, but they’ve got to reach out to moderate, purplish voters and to know who San Diego voters are,” said Dan Rottenstreich, campaign manager for von Wilpert.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2025

Former first Lady Jill Biden yet again wore a purplish blue from head to toe.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2025

Birds squawked in weird intonations, a few stars dotted a purplish sky, and the temperature felt like it dropped several degrees.

From National Geographic • Jan. 4, 2024

I didn’t know how long he’d been up there, but his foot was swollen and purplish and the white of his eyes was replaced by red, like the vessels had broken.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer