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.

Words nearby yellow

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

SYNONYMS FOR yellow

9 craven, timorous, fearful.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR yellow ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM yellow

yel·low·ly, adverbyel·low·ness, noun

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.

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

Examples from the Web for yellow

Yellow fever ravaged Philadelphia in first few weeks of October 1793.
Disease History Vs. Disease Hysteria|Kevin Bleyer|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A yellow hazardous material bin placed out on the lawn, just beyond some red tape reading “Danger Do Not Enter,” left no doubt.
Dallas: A Journal of the Plague City|Pete Freedman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Americans thought then we were at the cutting edge figuring out typhus and yellow fever,” says Bennett.
How Presidents Handle Pandemics|Eleanor Clift|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beyond medical board or nursing association certification, candidates must have a valid passport and yellow fever vaccination.
$10,000 a Month for Ebola Fighters|Abby Haglage|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The first checkpoint was decked out in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag and just inside the city limits.
On the Bus: Ukraine’s Frontline Express Across the Battle Lines|Ted Phillips|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The harp can be made of wood, covered with gold paper, and strung with yellow cord.
Home Pastimes; or Tableaux Vivants|James H. Head
And yet there was one gleam of hope, feeble as the yellow flicker of the gas-lamp across the way.
The Big Bow Mystery|I. Zangwill
The blossoms of this plant are bright red, usually more or less tinged with yellow.
Flowers of Mountain and Plain|Edith S. Clements
Her face was yellow; her eyes were sunken and dull; her hands trembled.
A Daughter of the Vine|Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
South of the river the yellow strata are more distinctly developed.
Buffalo Land|W. E. Webb

British Dictionary definitions for yellow

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

yellow

noun

adjective, yel·low·er, yel·low·est.

verb (used with or without object)

Words related to yellow

Words nearby yellow

Origin of yellow

SYNONYMS FOR yellow

OTHER WORDS FROM yellow

usage note for yellow

Examples from the Web for yellow

British Dictionary definitions for yellow

noun

adjective

verb

Derived forms of yellow

Word Origin for yellow