General words used to describe colors
ablaze
adjective
bright and full of light or color
bleached
adjective
made very pale by chemicals or strong sunlight
bold
adjective
very bright, clear, or strong in color and therefore easy to notice
brash
adjective
big, bright, or colorful in a way that is not attractive
bright
adjective
bright colors are strong but not dark
chintzy
adjective
too colorful and in poor taste
clean
adjective
clean smells, tastes, and colors are light and fresh
cold
adjective
cold colors are colors such as white, blue, and gray that make you think of things that are cold
color-coded
adjective
using colors to make different things easy to recognize
colored
adjective
red, green, blue, etc. rather than transparent or black or white
colorful
adjective
something that is colorful has bright colors or a lot of different colors
colorless
adjective
something that is colorless has no color
coloured
the British spelling of colored1
colourful
the British spelling of colorful
colourless
the British spelling of colorless
cool
adjective
cool colors, such as white and blue, give an idea of cold instead of heat
dappled
adjective
covered with or forming areas of lighter and darker color or light and shadow
dark
adjective
strong and not pale in color
darkly
adverb
in a dark color
deep
adjective
a deep color is dark and strong
delicate
adjective
a delicate taste, smell, or color is pleasant and not too strong
delicately
adverb
in a way that is pleasant and not too strong in flavor, smell, or color
discolored
adjective
something that is discolored has changed in color and no longer looks new, clean, or healthy
discoloured
the British spelling of discolored
dusty
adjective
used for describing a color that is not bright because it has some gray in it
fast
adjective
colors that are fast will not become paler when clothes are washed
festive
adjective
bright and colorful in a way that makes you think of a celebration
fiery
adjective
very bright in color, especially bright red, orange, or yellow
flamboyant
adjective
brightly colored or decorated
flaming
adjective
brightly colored red, orange, or yellow
fluorescent
adjective
a fluorescent color is very bright and seems to reflect light
fresh
adjective
used about colors
gaily
adverb
with bright attractive colors
gay
adjective
brightly-colored or attractive
glowing
adjective
glowing colors are bright and look warm
harmonious
adjective
harmonious colors or parts combine well with each other
harsh
adjective
harsh colors or lights are not pleasant because they are very bright
in
adjective, adverb, preposition
used for saying what color decorations, clothes, etc. are
iridescent
adjective
showing changing colors in different types of light
jazzy
adjective
bright, colorful, and attractive
light
adjective
pale in color, not dark
loud
adjective
very bright in a way that does not show good taste
matching
adjective
with the same color, pattern, or design
medium
adjective
neither light nor dark in color
mellow
adjective
soft and warm in color
monochrome
adjective
able to show or produce only black, white, and gray
monochrome
adjective
not brightly colored and usually gray in color
monotone
adjective
a monotone color is all the same shade of that color
multicolored
consisting of many different colors
multicoloured
the British spelling of multicolored
muted
adjective
not as bright or colorful as usual
neutral
adjective
neutral colors are not very strong or bright
neutral
noun
a neutral color
opalescent
adjective
something that is opalescent seems always to be changing color slightly
pastel
adjective
having a pale soft color
pastel
noun
a pale soft color
psychedelic
adjective
psychedelic clothes, designs, etc. are very brightly colored and have big unusual patterns
pure
adjective
a pure sound, color, light, etc. is very clear and beautiful
restrained
adjective
not too bright in color, or not decorated too much
rich
adjective
a rich color, sound, or smell is strong in a pleasant way
sepia
adjective
sepia photographs are old and are a red-brown color
showy
adjective
brightly colored and attractive
sickly
adjective
a sickly color is so pale that is looks unpleasant
sober
adjective
plain and not brightly colored
soft
adjective
a soft light or color is pale, gentle and pleasant to look at
somber
adjective
dark in color, especially gray or black
sombre
the British spelling of somber
splashy
adjective
brightly colored
tinged
adjective
something that is tinged with a color, feeling, or quality contains a small amount of it
tinted
adjective
containing a small amount of a particular color
tonal
adjective
relating to the tone of something, especially a color or sound
translucent
adjective
a translucent color is very pale or light
two-tone
adjective
two-tone shoes or clothes have two colors
vibrant
adjective
bright and colorful
violent
adjective
a violent color is very bright and almost painful to look at
vivid
adjective
a vivid color is strong and bright
warm
adjective
warm colors have red, orange, or yellow in them. Colors with blue or green in them are called cool colors
washed-out
adjective
washed-out clothes have lost a lot of their color because they have been washed so often
watery
adjective
pale, or not strong
a riot of something
a lot of different bright colors together
pale blue/gray/pink etc.
something that is pale blue/gray/pink etc. is a lighter type of blue/gray/pink etc. than usual