General words used to describe colours
ablaze
adjective
bright and full of light or colour
bleached
adjective
made very pale by chemicals or strong sunlight
bold
adjective
very bright, clear, or strong in colour and therefore easy to notice
brash
adjective
big, bright, or colourful in a way that is not attractive
bright
adjective
bright colours are strong but not dark
chintzy
adjective
too colourful and in poor taste
clean
adjective
clean smells, tastes, and colours are light and fresh
cold
adjective
cold colours are colours such as white, blue, and grey that make you think of things that are cold
colored
the American spelling of coloured1
colorful
the American spelling of colourful
colorless
the American spelling of colourless
colour-coded
adjective
marked with different colours to make it easy to see different features or uses
coloured
adjective
red, green, orange etc instead of black and white or transparent
colourful
adjective
something that is colourful has bright colours or a lot of different colours
colourless
adjective
something that is colourless has no colour
cool
adjective
cool colours, such as white and blue, give an idea of cold instead of heat
dappled
adjective
covered with or forming areas of lighter and darker colour or light and shadow
dark
adjective
strong and not pale in colour
darkly
adverb
in a dark colour
deep
adjective
a deep colour is dark and strong
delicate
adjective
a delicate taste, smell, or colour is pleasant and not too strong
delicately
adverb
in a way that is pleasant and not too strong in flavour, smell, or colour
discolored
the American spelling of discoloured
discoloured
adjective
something that is discoloured has changed in colour and no longer looks new, clean, or healthy
dusty
adjective
used for describing a colour that is not bright because it has some grey in it
fast
adjective
colours that are fast will not become paler when clothes are washed
festive
adjective
bright and colourful in a way that makes you think of a celebration
fiery
adjective
very bright in colour, especially bright red, orange, or yellow
flamboyant
adjective
brightly coloured or decorated
flaming
adjective
brightly coloured red, orange, or yellow
fluorescent
adjective
a fluorescent colour is very bright and seems to reflect light
fresh
adjective
used about colours
gaily
adverb
with bright attractive colours
gay
adjective
brightly-coloured or attractive
glowing
adjective
glowing colours are bright and look warm
grayscale
noun
the American spelling of greyscale
harmonious
adjective
harmonious colours or parts combine well with each other
harsh
adjective
harsh colours or lights are not pleasant because they are very bright
in
adjective, adverb, preposition
used for saying what colour decorations, clothes etc are
iridescent
adjective
showing changing colours in different types of light
jazzy
adjective
bright, colourful, and attractive
light
adjective
pale in colour, not dark
loud
adjective
very bright in a way that does not show good taste
matching
adjective
with the same colour, pattern, or design
medium
adjective
neither light nor dark in colour
mellow
adjective
soft and warm in colour
monochrome
adjective
able to show or produce only black, white, and grey
monochrome
adjective
not brightly coloured and usually grey in colour
monotone
adjective
a monotone colour is all the same shade of that colour
multicolored
the American spelling of multicoloured
multicoloured
adjective
consisting of several different colours
muted
adjective
not as bright or colourful as usual
neutral
adjective
neutral colours are not very strong or bright
neutral
noun
a neutral colour
opalescent
adjective
something that is opalescent seems always to be changing colour slightly
pastel
adjective
having a pale soft colour
pastel
noun
a pale soft colour
psychedelic
adjective
psychedelic clothes, designs etc are very brightly coloured and have big unusual patterns
pure
adjective
a pure sound, colour, light etc is very clear and beautiful
restrained
adjective
not too bright in colour, or not decorated too much
rich
adjective
a rich colour, sound, or smell is strong in a pleasant way
sepia
adjective
sepia photographs are old and are a red-brown colour
showy
adjective
brightly coloured and attractive
sickly
adjective
a sickly colour is so pale that is looks unpleasant
sober
adjective
plain and not brightly coloured
soft
adjective
a soft light or colour is pale, gentle and pleasant to look at
somber
the American spelling of sombre
sombre
adjective
dark in colour, especially grey or black
splashy
adjective
brightly coloured
tinged
adjective
something that is tinged with a colour, feeling, or quality contains a small amount of it
tinted
adjective
containing a small amount of a particular colour
tonal
adjective
relating to the tone of something, especially a colour or sound
translucent
adjective
a translucent colour is very pale or light
two-tone
adjective
two-tone shoes or clothes have two colours
vibrant
adjective
bright and colourful
violent
adjective
a violent colour is very bright and almost painful to look at
vivid
adjective
a vivid colour is strong and bright
warm
adjective
warm colours have red, orange, or yellow in them. Colours with blue or green in them are called cool colours
washed-out
adjective
washed-out clothes have lost a lot of their colour because they have been washed so often
watery
adjective
pale, or not strong
a riot of something
a lot of different bright colours together
pale blue/grey/pink etc
something that is pale blue/grey/pink etc is a lighter type of blue/grey/pink etc than usual
