any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.
any such plant except the pansy and the viola.
the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
any of various similar plants of other genera.
reddish-blue, a color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red, an effect of light with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers.
any of various temperate perennial herbaceous plants of the violaceous genus Viola, such as V. odorata ( sweet (or garden ) violet ), typically having mauve or bluish flowers with irregular showy petals
any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy
any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet
any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same purplish-blue hue. They lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to blue; approximate wavelength range 445–390 nanometres
( as adjective )
a violet dress
a dye or pigment of or producing these colours
violet clothing
dressed in violet
informal a shy person
violet flower A violet is a flower known for its vibrant bluish-purple color (the basis of the name of the color violet). The name violet can refer to any flower in the genus Viola, some of which are other colors (including blue, yellow, and white) or are variegated. The most well-known variety is called the common blue violet. The violet family contains many different species of plants, including trees and shrubs. The violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. It’s also one of the February birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Violets are often said to represent modesty. The idiom shrinking violet refers to someone who is shy or (overly) modest. Example: For my birthday, my wife always gives me a bouquet of beautiful violets.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; see -et
Roses are red, violets are blue...actually, violets are closer to purple — but purple doesn't rhyme with anything. The word violet can refer either to a purplish-blue color or to the tiny flower of that color. On the color spectrum, violet is a variation on purple that sits a bit closer to blue than red. The color violet comes from the flower name, which is rooted in the Latin viola. The violet is a plant with small flowers that vary in color from pale violet to dark blue, as well as white. If you're coloring violets in a coloring book, you can choose the violet crayon!
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Too much bracken inhibits the growth of the dog violet, the food source for the caterpillars.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
SoftBank 9984 -12.53%decrease; down pointing triangle Group founder Masayoshi Son, after all, isn’t exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to wild ideas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
A cologne with notes of violet, oud and cinnamon ensures he’ll leave a lasting impression long after he’s left a room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
A blooming marvellous kit - South Korea's away strip featured an energetic, floral design set against a violet base.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Now every time Mami enters my room she sprays agua de violetas, violet cologne, all over me and mutters, “¡Quépeste!”
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Violet Black, from Edinburgh, Scotland, thinks walking can be a good antidote to isolation and loneliness.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Their daughters, Hazel and Violet, both act in school plays and have started to love visiting their parents on set.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Cordelia Violet Paap, a 12th-grader and student body president at Tallinn Pelgulinna State, delivered a poem railing against AI before a school talent show in March.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
At the time of the arrest, a small crowd of Pokémon fans was camped outside of the Best Buy waiting to purchase the latest set of trading cards, the Scarlet & Violet 151 expansion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Violet looked around the cramped, smelly room in which they had been living.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
The pearl-bordered fritillary, a striking orange-and-black butterfly whose caterpillars feed only on violets, has declined by 70%.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Her poems are powerful and dangerous, like violets pushing through concrete to kiss the sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
The statue and a memorial were defaced this month at Croome, a 700-acre property that is home to a mansion and two castles as well as violets, tulips and bluebells.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2023
“The sagebrush violets there are gorgeous, along with the sagebrush buttercups,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
On top of the fridge stood tonight’s pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
