definitions

yellow

[ yel-oh ]
/ ˈyɛl oʊ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR yellow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective, yel·low·er, yel·low·est.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become yellow: Yellow the sheets with dye. The white stationery had yellowed with age.

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RELATED WORDS

sensationalism

Nearby words

yelisavetpol, yelizaveta petrovna, yelizavetgrad, yelk, yell, yellow, yellow alert, yellow archangel, yellow atrophy of liver, yellow avens, yellow belly

Origin of yellow

before 900; 1895–1900 for def 9; Middle English yelou (adj. and noun), Old English geolo, geolu (adj.); cognate with Dutch geel, German gelb, Latin helvus pale-yellow; akin to Old Norse gulr

Related forms

yel·low·ly, adverbyel·low·ness, noun

Usage note

It is perceived as insulting to use yellow to describe a person of Asian or mixed racial origin, as in the terms yellow peril and high yellow.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for yellow journalism (1 of 2)

yellow journalism

noun

the type of journalism that relies on sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract readers

Word Origin for yellow journalism

C19: perhaps shortened from the phrase Yellow Kid journalism, referring to the Yellow Kid, a cartoon (1895) in the New York World, a newspaper having a reputation for sensationalism

British Dictionary definitions for yellow journalism (2 of 2)

yellow

/ (ˈjɛləʊ) /

noun

adjective

verb

to make or become yellow
See also yellows

Derived Forms

yellowish, adjectiveyellowly, adverbyellowness, nounyellowy, adjective

Word Origin for yellow

Old English geolu; related to Old Saxon, Old High German gelo, Old Norse gulr, Latin helvus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for yellow journalism

yellow journalism

Inflammatory, irresponsible reporting by newspapers. The phrase arose during the 1890s, when some American newspapers, particularly those run by William Randolph Hearst, worked to incite hatred of Spain, thereby contributing to the start of the Spanish-American War. Newspapers that practice yellow journalism are called yellow press.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.