yellow

[ yel-oh ]

/ ˈyɛl oʊ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR yellow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nm.

the yolk of an egg.

a yellow pigment or dye.

Informal. yellow light.

Slang. yellow jacket(def 2).

adjective, yel·low·er, yel·low·est.

of the color yellow.

Disparaging and Offensive.

designating or pertaining to an Asian person or Asian peoples.
designating or pertaining to a person of mixed racial origin, especially of black and white heritage.

having a sallow or yellowish complexion.

Informal. cowardly.

(of a newspaper, book, etc.) featuring articles, pictures, or other content that is sensational, especially morbidly or offensively so: yellow rags; yellow biographies.
dishonest in editorial comment and the presentation of news, especially in sacrificing truth for sensationalism, as in yellow journalism; yellow press.

jealous; envious.

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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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

SYNONYMS FOR yellow

9 craven, timorous, fearful.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR yellow ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for yellow

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM yellow

yel·low·ly, adverbyel·low·ness, noun

Words nearby yellow

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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

any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same hue. They lie in the approximate wavelength range 585–575 nanometres. Yellow is the complementary colour of blue and with cyan and magenta forms a set of primary coloursRelated adjective: xanthous

a pigment or dye of or producing these colours

yellow cloth or clothingdressed in yellow

the yolk of an egg

a yellow ball in snooker, etc

any of a group of pieridine butterflies the males of which have yellow or yellowish wings, esp the clouded yellows (Colias spp.) and the brimstone

adjective

of the colour yellow

yellowish in colour or having parts or marks that are yellowishyellow jasmine

having a yellowish skin; Mongoloid

informal cowardly or afraid

offensively sensational, as a cheap newspaper (esp in the phrase yellow press)

verb

to make or become yellow

Derived forms of yellow

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

Cultural 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.

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yellow