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• violet
  violet

  noun

  any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.
• Violet
  Violet

  noun

  a female given name.

violet

¹ American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

noun

• violets
  plural

1. any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.

2. any such plant except the pansy and the viola.

3. the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

4. any of various similar plants of other genera.

5. 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.

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adjective

1. of the color violet; reddish-blue.

   violet hats.

Violet ² American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

Also Violette

noun

1. a female given name.

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violet British  

/ ˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

1. 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

2. any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet

4. 1. 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

   2. ( as adjective )

      a violet dress

5. a dye or pigment of or producing these colours

6. violet clothing

   dressed in violet

7. informal a shy person

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violet Idioms  

1. see shrinking violet.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• violet-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• violets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violet

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; see -et

Explanation

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

violet Violet violets

Suddenly, the world is plunged into an eerie, violet darkness.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Attendees are encouraged to wear indigo, deep blue or violet colors to get fully immersed in the Sunday gathering on Aug. 9. 10-11 a.m.,

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 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

Wildflower Hill at the Theodore Payne Foundation Nursery is thriving with a few species of phacelia, including lavender-blue lacy phacelia and violet Canterbury bells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

They sat around the table in their chairs: Hadel in the blue, Balthilda in the violet, and Ida in the yellow.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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

The title of Violet Grohl’s debut album, “Be Sweet to Me,” started as an inside joke.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

However, Violet had periods of severe mental ill health.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

He shared a blog post written by Violet, who makes many helpful points, on his Substack.

From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026

“Perhaps if we explained our situation to her, she would agree to adopt us,” Klaus said hopefully, but when Violet looked at him she saw that he knew it was of no use.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Fresh and elegant, with serious tannins, aromas of violets and roses and flavors including pomegranate and big, ripe red berries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

“Mike took it and made it incredibly subtle: flesh with the violets and the purples and the pearlescence,” Del Toro says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

Cover the stores’ coffins in the faded iconography of their shopping bags: respectively, a spray of violets, brown and white stripes and a single red rose.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

Use a cosmetic brush to clean the fuzzy leaves of plants like African violets.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

“Plant some violets here in the spring,” she said.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Related Words

• color
• lavender
• lilac
• mauve
• periwinkle
• plum