INDEX:
1. a colour
2. to be a particular colour
3. brightly coloured
4. light colours
5. dark colours
6. having no colour
7. photograph/film/television
8. to change the colour of something
9. to lose colour
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ PAINT
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1. a colour
▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ What’s your favourite colour?
▪ I like nice bright colours like yellow and pink
▪ What colour is his hair?
▪ Look carefully at the rear door. It’s not quite the same colour as the rest of the car.
▪ The chameleon is able to change colour to protect itself.
▷ shade /ʃeɪd/ [countable noun]
a particular type of one colour, which is darker or lighter than other types of the same colour :
▪ When buying make-up, choose the right shade to match your skin.
shade of blue/green etc
▪ Valerie’s eyes are a beautiful shade of blue.
▪ In the fall, the woods are full of countless shades of brown, yellow and orange.
▷ tint /tɪnt/ [countable noun]
a small amount of a particular colour in something that is mostly another colour :
▪ The sun shining on her head gave her hair an attractive red tint.
▪ The glass had a bluish tint to it, like ice.
▪ It was October, and the leaves had begun to take on their warm autumn tints.
▷ vivid /ˈvɪvɪd, ˈvɪvəd/ [adjective]
a vivid colour is very bright and noticeable, especially in a way that is attractive :
▪ a vivid blue sky
▪ a cloud of vivid yellow butterflies
▷ hue /hjuː/ [countable noun]
a colour or a shade of a colour :
▪ The Prince wore majestic robes of a rich purple hue.
▷ colouring British /coloring American /ˈkʌlərɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the colour of a person’s or animal’s hair, skin, or eyes :
▪ This lipstick is perfect for your coloring.
▪ People with very light colouring need to protect themselves from the sun as they burn easily.
▪ Many poisonous animals have distinctive coloring that is easily recognized.
2. to be a particular colour
▷ be /bi strong biː/ [verb]
be red/green etc
▪ The Japanese flag is white with a red circle in the middle.
▪ Frogs are green, toads are brown. That’s how you tell the difference.
▪ ‘What colour is your car?’ ‘It’s black.’
▷ coloured British /colored American /ˈkʌləʳd/ [adjective usually before noun]
having one or more colours and not black or white :
▪ The front door was painted blue and had a coloured glass panel in it.
▪ You can make Christmas decorations from almost anything -- beads, colored ribbons, sea shells -- anything.
brightly coloured
▪ The cages were full of brightly- coloured tropical birds.
▷ tinted /ˈtɪntɪd, ˈtɪntəd/ [adjective]
glass that is tinted has a slight colour, so that people cannot see through it, so that light does not shine too brightly through it :
▪ The limousine had tinted windows, so we couldn’t see who was inside.
blue-tinted/green-tinted etc
▪ She wore a pair of pink-tinted glasses.
3. brightly coloured
▷ bright /braɪt/ [adjective]
a bright colour is strong and very easy to notice :
▪ The artist clearly loved bright colours.
▪ If you are cycling at night, always wear something bright.
bright blue/red/yellow etc
▪ The front door was painted bright red.
▪ a bright yellow van
brightly [adverb]
▪ a brightly painted boat
▪ brightly coloured balloons
▷ colourful British /colorful American /ˈkʌləʳf ə l/ [adjective]
having a lot of different colours, especially bright colours :
▪ The garden was full of colourful and fascinating flowers.
▪ That’s a really colourful tie you’re wearing.
▪ Stunning tropical fish swim in and out of the colorful rock formations.
▷ brilliant /ˈbrɪljənt/ [adjective usually before noun]
brilliant white/blue/green etc
so bright that it almost hurts your eyes to look at it :
▪ a brilliant blue sky
▪ The room was painted a brilliant white.
▷ multicoloured British /multicolored American /ˈmʌltiˌkʌləʳd/ [adjective usually before noun]
having several different colours, especially bright colours :
▪ A giant multicoloured flag waved in the midday sun.
▪ A group of women sat around talking, their multi-coloured dresses radiant.
▷ gaudy /ˈgɔːdi/ [adjective]
something that is gaudy has too many different colours or is too brightly coloured, with the result that it looks cheap and in bad taste :
▪ I didn’t like the decorations - they looked rather gaudy.
▪ She smelled of cheap perfume and wore gaudy clothing and fake costume jewellery.
▷ garish /ˈge ə rɪʃ/ [adjective]
too brightly coloured in a way that is unpleasant to look at :
▪ Her hair had been dyed a garish shade of red.
▪ The streets are lined with garish neon signs.
▪ The traditional designs have been replaced by much more garish colours.
▷ vibrant /ˈvaɪbrənt/ [adjective]
vibrant colours are very bright and strong - used when you like these colours very much :
▪ the vibrant reds and oranges of the leaves in autumn
▪ The streets of the capital are vibrant with color.
▷ lurid /ˈlʊ ə rɪd, ˈlʊ ə rəd, ˈljʊ ə rə̇d‖ˈlʊ ə rɪd/ [adjective]
lurid colours are too bright and look very unattractive - used when you dislike these colours :
▪ The carpets were a lurid shade of green.
4. light colours
▷ light /laɪt/ [adjective]
light colours are closer to white than to black :
▪ They both have brown hair, but Tina’s is slightly lighter.
light blue/green/orange etc
▪ This is a nice jacket and we also do it in a light green.
▷ pale /peɪl/ [adjective]
very light in colour :
▪ There were dark rings under her eyes and her skin was paler than usual.
pale pink/green/blue etc
▪ Her dress is pale pink, with a small flowery pattern.
▪ The old man’s pale blue eyes moved from the dartboard to the bar and then back again.
▷ fair /feəʳ/ [adjective]
use this about the colour of people’s hair and skin :
▪ Someone with fair skin like you should probably use a stronger sunscreen.
fair-haired/fair-skinned
▪ The Indians were at first frightened of the fair-skinned Europeans.
▷ pastel /ˈpæstlǁpæˈstel/ [adjective only before noun]
pastel colours, especially pink, yellow, green or blue, are soft and light and not at all bright :
▪ Before the baby was born Jenny bought some pretty, pastel baby clothes.
▪ Mrs Singh preferred saris in pastel colours, such as salmon pink.
pastels [plural noun]
pastel colours: :
▪ White, cream, and pastels suit me better than dark colours.
▷ faded /ˈfeɪdɪd, ˈfeɪdəd/ [adjective]
if something is faded, it is a lighter colour than it was originally because of being affected by the sun, washing, or age :
▪ The woman wore a faded blue dress and old brown sandals.
▪ Joe dropped a faded newspaper picture on Woodward’s desk.
5. dark colours
▷ dark /dɑːʳk/ [adjective]
dark colours are closer to black than to white :
▪ She has beautiful dark brown eyes.
▪ If you’re going to have such dark walls I really think you should have a pale carpet.
▪ ‘What do you think of this blouse?’ ‘It’s a bit dark -- navy doesn’t really suit you.’
▷ deep /diːp/ [adjective usually before noun]
deep colours are strong, dark, and attractive :
▪ I’m looking for a deeper shade of purple to paint the bedroom.
deep blue/red/purple etc
▪ She looked into his eyes. They were deep blue.
▪ In the lounge hung long curtains of luxurious deep red velvet.
▷ rich /rɪtʃ/ [adjective]
dark and giving a pleasant feeling of comfort and warmth :
▪ I admired the warm, rich colors of her Persian rugs.
▪ The horse had a rich chestnut coat.
6. having no colour
▷ colourless British /colorless American /ˈkʌləʳləs/ [adjective]
▪ Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas.
▪ He stared out the window at the colorless sky.
7. photograph/film/television
▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [adjective]
showing pictures in all colours, not just in black, white, and grey :
▪ You need a colour television to fully appreciate nature programmes.
▪ Does your new computer have a colour monitor?
▪ The outstanding feature of this book is its 45 full-page color photographs.
in colour
showing all the colours
▪ All the pictures are in color.
▷ black and white /ˌblæk ən ˈwaɪt/ []
black and white television/photograph/film etc
one that has a black, white, and grey picture, not colours such as blue, red and yellow :
▪ Black and white TV sets are now very cheap to buy.
▪ I love the old black-and-white movies.
▪ an exhibition of black and white photos
in black and white
showing only black, white, and grey
▪ ‘Is the film ‘Casablanca’ in colour?’ ‘No, it’s in black and white.’
▷ monochrome /ˈmɒnəkrəʊmǁˈmɑː-/ [adjective] technical
monochrome pictures have no colour, and use only black, white, and shades of grey :
▪ There were some beautiful monochrome pictures of Yosemite.
in monochrome
▪ McCullin still prefers to shoot in monochrome.
8. to change the colour of something
▷ colour British /color American /ˈkʌləʳ/ [transitive verb]
to put colour into something :
▪ Last time I tried to colour my hair it turned red!
▪ Marigold petals were once used for colouring butter and cheese.
colour/color something in
colour inside the lines of a picture
▪ Josie sat at the table coloring in her picture while her father made the dinner.
▷ dye /daɪ/ [transitive verb]
to change the colour of material or hair by using a special coloured liquid :
▪ I’m bored with this skirt. I’m going to dye it.
▪ Wool and silk are the materials that are easiest to dye.
dye something blue/yellow/red etc
▪ She’s dyed her hair red -- it looks so unnatural.
dyed [adjective]
▪ The boy wore a headdress of dyed ostrich feathers.
▷ bleach /bliːtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to use chemicals to make the colour of material or hair lighter :
▪ To play the part, Kensit had to bleach her hair and gain 20 pounds.
▪ I’m going to bleach these curtains and see if I can get the stains out.
bleached [adjective]
▪ The beach was full of bleached blondes.
9. to lose colour
▷ fade /feɪd/ [intransitive verb]
if a colour or coloured material fades, its colour becomes paler, for example because it has been in sunlight for a long time :
▪ Over the years the green paint had faded.
▪ Your natural hair colour begins to fade as you grow older, and eventually you go grey.
faded [adjective]
▪ The curtains that were at one time bright and cheerful were now faded and torn.
▷ lose its colour British /lose its color American /ˌluːz ɪts ˈkʌləʳ/ [verb phrase]
if a material or object loses its colour, the colour comes out of it, especially because of the effects of washing or sunlight :
▪ Will this shirt lose its colour if you wash it?
▪ Red onions lose their color when cooked.
▷ run /rʌn/ [intransitive verb]
if the colours run on a piece of clothing when you wash it, some of the colour goes from one part of it and onto another part of it because the water is too hot :
▪ It is usually advisable to wash new clothes separately as they tend to run.