Words that Embrace Color

Descriptive words for color can evoke a positive feeling, a negative feeling, or simply express the facts. Certainly, when they have a positive connotation, they’re going to express bright and cheery emotions. Let’s take a look:

• Ablaze - Radiant with bright color

• Beaming - Bright; shining

• Bold - Bright; vivid

• Bright - Brilliant in color

• Brilliant - Vivid; intense

• Colorful - Full of vivid colors

• Dappled - Having a spotted surface

• Deep - Dark; rich

• Delicate - Subtle; slight

• Electric - Bright; metallic

• Festive - Celebratory; merry

• Fiery - Burning or glowing like fire

• Flamboyant - Extravagant; exuberant

• Flaming - Resembling a flame or fire

• Fresh - Recent; new

• Glistening - Sparkling or shining like glitter

• Glittering - Shining; sparkling

• Glowing - Producing light or warmth

• Harmonious - Colors that blend well together

• Iridescent - Something with rainbow-like colors

• Jazzy - Lively; bright

• Opalescent - Having a milky iridescence like an opal

• Prismatic - Multi-colored; brilliant; bright

• Radiant - Glowing; bright

• Sepia - A reddish/brown color, like old photographs

• Vibrant - Full of color

• Vivid - Bright, intense colors

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Color Words with Negative Connotations

Not everything is for everyone. When we’re met with something overly colorful or drab, we need to find the right words to convey that feeling. See if any of these words will work for your next writing piece:

• Ashy - Having the color of ash; pale

• Bleak - Gloomy; somber; not colorful

• Blotchy - Discolored or patchy

• Brash - Abrasive; tacky

• Chintzy - Cheap-looking

• Cold - Depressing; saddening

• Colorless - Lacking color; dull

• Dark - Lacking in light

• Dim - Not bright

• Discolored - Deprived of color; given the wrong color

• Drab - A dull, yellowish-brown color

• Harsh - Disagreeable; unpleasant

• Loud - Overly intense

• Muddy - Not clear

• Opaque - Incapable of allowing light to pass through

• Saturated - Overfly full

• Showy - Gaudy; too flashy

• Sickly - Having a pallor that reflects being nauseated

• Somber - Dark; gloomy; dull

• Sooty - Black or dusky in color

• Splashy - Attracting too much attention

• Stained - An unwanted spot

• Uneven - Not smooth; irregular

• Washed-out - Lacking color; faded

• Watery - Containing too much water; diluted

Words that Express a Little Color

Sometimes, less is more. Things can be totally colorless, monochromatic, or full of muted tones. When that’s the message you’re trying to convey, see if any of these illustrators will do:

• Colorless - Dull or lacking in color

• Dotted - A series of small spots or marks

• Faded - Less bright

• Flecked - Having a spot or small patch of color

• Light - Lacking brightness or saturation

• Monochromatic - Having one color

• Monotone - All one color

• Muted - Subdued or softened colors

• Neutral - Having very little color

• Pale - Something light in color or washed out

• Primary - Basic color

• Rustic - Plain; simple

• Tinged - A small amount of color

• Tinted - Slightly colored

• Translucent - Allowing light to pass through

• Transparent - Clear; see-through