COLOR

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does color mean? 

• COLOR (noun)
  The noun COLOR has 7 senses:

1. a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

2. interest and variety and intensity

3. the timbre of a musical sound

4. an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading

5. any material used for its color

6. (physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction

7. the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation

  Familiarity information: COLOR used as a noun is common.

• COLOR (adjective)
  The adjective COLOR has 1 sense:

1. having or capable of producing colors

  Familiarity information: COLOR used as an adjective is very rare.

• COLOR (verb)
  The verb COLOR has 6 senses:

1. add color to

2. affect as in thought or feeling

3. modify or bias

4. decorate with colors

5. give a deceptive explanation or excuse for

6. change color, often in an undesired manner

  Familiarity information: COLOR used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COLOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

color; coloring; colour; colouring

Context example:

a white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

visual property (an attribute of vision)

Attribute:

uncolored; uncoloured (without color)

colored; colorful; coloured (having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "color"):

chromatic color; chromatic colour; spectral color; spectral colour (a color that has hue)

dithered color; dithered colour; nonsolid color; nonsolid colour (a color produced by a pattern of differently colored dots that together simulate the desired color)

complexion; skin color; skin colour (the coloring of a person's face)

coloration; colouration (appearance with regard to color)

achromatic color; achromatic colour (a color lacking hue; white or grey or black)

shade; tincture; tint; tone (a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color)

mottle (an irregular arrangement of patches of color)

heather; heather mixture (interwoven yarns of mixed colors producing muted greyish shades with flecks of color)

primary color; primary colour (any of three colors from which all others can be obtained by mixing)

Antonym:

colorlessness (the visual property of being without chromatic color)

Derivation:

color (change color, often in an undesired manner)

color (add color to)

color (decorate with colors)

colorist (a painter able to achieve special effects with color)

colorize (add color to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Interest and variety and intensity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

color; colour; vividness

Context example:

the characters were delineated with exceptional vividness

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

interest; interestingness (the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.))

Attribute:

colorful; colourful (having much or varied color)

colorless; colourless (weak in color; not colorful)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The timbre of a musical sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

color; coloration; colour; colouration

Context example:

the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

quality; timber; timbre; tone ((music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound))

Sense 4

Meaning:

An outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

color; colour; gloss; semblance

Context example:

the situation soon took on a different color

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "color"):

simulacrum (an insubstantial or vague semblance)

face value (the apparent worth as opposed to the real worth)

guise; pretence; pretense; pretext (an artful or simulated semblance)

camouflage; disguise (an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something)

verisimilitude (the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true)

color of law; colour of law (a mere semblance of legal right; something done with the apparent authority of law but actually in contravention of law)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Any material used for its color

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

color; coloring material; colour; colouring material

Context example:

she used a different color for the trim

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "color"):

indicator ((chemistry) a substance that changes color to indicate the presence of some ion or substance; can be used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction or (in medicine) to test for a particular reaction)

stain ((microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible)

pigment (any substance whose presence in plant or animal tissues produces a characteristic color)

pigment (dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.))

hematochrome (a reddish coloring material found in some algae)

tincture (a substance that colors or dyes)

dye; dyestuff (a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair)

mordant (a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process)

paint; pigment (a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating)

Derivation:

colorist (a painter able to achieve special effects with color)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

color; colour

Context example:

each flavor of quarks comes in three colors

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

form; kind; sort; variety (a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality)

Domain category:

high-energy physics; high energy physics; particle physics (the branch of physics that studies subatomic particles and their interactions)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

color; colour

Hypernyms ("color" is a kind of...):

appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

Derivation:

colorist (a painter able to achieve special effects with color)

• COLOR (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having or capable of producing colors

Synonyms:

color; colour

Context example:

marvelous color illustrations

Domain category:

photography; picture taking (the act of taking and printing photographs)

Antonym:

black-and-white (not having or not capable of producing colors)

• COLOR (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Add color to

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

color; color in; colorise; colorize; colour; colour in; colourise; colourize

Context example:

colorize black and white film

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "color"):

tinct; tinge; tint; touch (color lightly)

verdigris (color verdigris)

pigment (color or dye with a pigment)

hue; imbue (suffuse with color)

retouch (give retouches to (hair))

silver (make silver in color)

gray; grey (make grey)

tone (change to a color image)

redden (make red)

blotch; mottle; streak (mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained)

handcolor; handcolour (color by hand)

brown; embrown (make brown in color)

incarnadine (make flesh-colored)

pinkify (make pink)

aurify (turn golden)

empurple; purple; purpurate (color purple)

azure (color azure)

polychrome; polychromise; polychromize (color with many colors; make polychrome)

motley; parti-color (make motley; color with different colors)

blackwash (color with blackwash)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They color their hair

Antonym:

discolor (lose color or turn colorless)

Derivation:

color (a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect)

coloration (choice and use of colors (as by an artist))

coloring (a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect)

coloring (a digestible substance used to give color to food)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Affect as in thought or feeling

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

color; colour; distort; tinge

Context example:

The sadness tinged his life

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on (have an effect upon)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Modify or bias

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

color; colour

Context example:

His political ideas color his lectures

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Decorate with colors

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

color; colour; emblazon

Context example:

color the walls with paint in warm tones

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament (make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "color"):

miniate (paint with red lead or vermilion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

color (a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect)

coloration (choice and use of colors (as by an artist))

colorist (a painter able to achieve special effects with color)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Give a deceptive explanation or excuse for

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

color; colour; gloss

Context example:

color a lie

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

apologise; apologize; excuse; rationalise; rationalize (defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Change color, often in an undesired manner

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

color; colour; discolor; discolour

Context example:

The shirts discolored

Hypernyms (to "color" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "color"):

turn (change color)

blue (turn blue)

green (turn or become green)

tone (change the color or tone of)

yellow (turn yellow)

gray; grey (turn grey)

purple (become purple)

redden (turn red or redder)

silver (turn silver)

black; blacken; melanise; melanize (make or become black)

white; whiten (turn white)

burn; sunburn (get a sunburn by overexposure to the sun)

bronze; tan (get a tan, from wind or sun)

blanch; blench; pale (turn pale, as if in fear)

blush; crimson; flush; redden (turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame)

dye (color with dye)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

coloring (the act or process of changing the color of something)

color (a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect)

 Context examples 

Extinction training — repeated exposures to the colored squares without shocks — followed.

(How Our Memory Works, NIH, US)

Researchers studying genes that contribute to skin color for the last hundred years have focused on analyzing differences among European populations.

(New regions of the human genome linked to skin color variation in some African populations, National Institutes of Health)

Compositional data from the New Horizons spacecraft, shown in the right inset, indicate that the plateau uplands south of Piri Rupes are rich in methane ice (shown in false color as purple).

(What’s Eating at Pluto?, NASA)

Dust in the Martian atmosphere has fine particles that permit blue light to penetrate the atmosphere more efficiently than longer-wavelength colors.

(Sunset in Mars' Gale Crater, NASA)

Additionally, while green is the dominant color of earthly auroras, a vivid red color would stand out in a brown dwarf's aurora because of the higher hydrogen content of the object's atmosphere.

(Powerful Auroras Found at Brown Dwarf, NASA)

To answer this question, the team visited 26 museums around the world, recording coat color for more than 2,700 specimens collected in the winter.

(Twenty-one species adapted to disappear in the snow. Then, the snow disappeared, National Science Foundation)

Coat colors can include liver or chocolate.

(American Water Spaniel, NCI Thesaurus)

Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives the red color to blood.

(Anemia, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

A disorder in which a person is born without part or all of the iris (colored tissue at the front of the eyeball).

(Aniridia, NCI Dictionary)

The short, hard coat may be any color.

(American Foxhound, NCI Thesaurus)