204 Words That Describe Colours – A Resource For Writers

This post includes interesting facts about colours and a selection of words writers can use to describe colours.

Writers use the five senses when they write. We are able to see, smell, hear, taste, and touch exactly what the characters in the story experience.

I have written about words that describe taste, touch, sound, and smell in previous posts.

One of the best ways to describe what we see is through colour and in this post, I have included words that describe colours.

Note: ‘colour’ is British spelling and ‘color’ is American spelling.

What Is Colour?

Collins Dictionary says: ‘The colour of something is the appearance that it has as a result of the way in which it reflects light.’

The visible spectrum of colour as we see it, consists of seven main colours:

But we can only see three of these visible colours: red, blue, green. These three colours are mixed in our brain to create all of the other colours we see.

Colour Affects Us

Colour affects our moods. For example, blue is calm, red is aggressive, pink suppresses anger and anxiety, bright yellow is the most irritating colour because of its excessive stimulation on the eye. Colours also affect consumers.

According to Sally Augustin in an article in Psychology Today, research has shown the “powers” of particular colours.

She writes about five colours:

1. “Green: Seeing the colour green has been linked to more creative thinking—so greens are good options for home offices, art studios, etc.
2. Red: People seeing others in front of red backgrounds generally find those other individuals are more attractive than when they see them silhouetted against other colours, so reds are great for a bedroom wall. Having a red surface in view also gives us a burst of strength, so reds are good choices for home gym areas, etc. Seeing red has been linked to impaired analytical reasoning, though, making it a bad option for offices.
3. Violet: People link a greyish violet with sophistication, so it can be a good selection for places where you’re trying to make the “right” impression.
4. Yellow: Using yellow in a home can be problematic. Many people dislike the colour, so if you have a lot of yellow rooms in your home or a yellow front door, you may be advised to repaint to get the best price for your home should you sell. An exception: Many people use yellow in kitchens—with no negative sales repercussions. Yellow may be accepted in kitchens because warm colours stimulate our appetite.
5. Blue: People are more likely to tell you that blue is their favourite colour than any other shade. That makes it a safe choice. Seeing blue also brings thoughts of trustworthiness to mind; always a good thing.”

Writing Tips

1. A character who lives in a colourful home is very different to one who lives in a monochromatic home. The use of colour can help you to show who the characters are.
2. A colour-blind character can add an interesting twist to a story.
3. A character with chromophobia has an irrational fear of colours. This can stop them from performing daily activities and can affect their lives.
4. A bleak, grey setting works well for a crime scene. A sepia-tinged setting works for memoirs. A vivid setting works well for romance. Use colours to set the mood for your books.

204 Words That Describe Colours

General Colour-Related Words

1. ablaze – bright and full of light or colour
2. a riot of  [colour] – a lot of different bright colours together
3. bleached – made very pale by chemicals or strong sunlight
4. bleak – gloomy; sombre
5. blotchy – discoloured, patchy
6. bold – very bright, clear, or strong in colour and therefore easy to notice
7. brash – big, bright, or colourful in a way that is not attractive
8. bright – strong but not dark
9. brilliant – vivid, intense
10. chintzy – too colourful and in poor taste
11. clean – light and fresh
12. cold – colours such as white, blue, and grey that make you think of things that are cold
13. colour-coded – marked with different colours to make it easy to see different features or uses
14. colourful – has bright colours or a lot of different colours
15. cool – cool colours, such as white and blue, give an idea of cold instead of heat. Colours with blue or green in them are called cool colours
16. dappled – covered with or forming areas of lighter and darker colour or light and shadow
17. dark – strong and not pale in colour
18. deep – dark and strong
19. delicate – pleasant and not too strong
20. discoloured – changed in colour and no longer looks new, clean, or healthy
21. dusty – used for describing a colour that is not bright because it has some grey in it
22. electric – bright, metallic
23. fast – colours that are fast will not become paler when clothes are washed
24. festive – bright and colourful in a way that makes you think of a celebration
25. fiery – very bright in colour, especially bright red, orange, or yellow
26. flamboyant – brightly coloured or decorated
27. flaming – brightly coloured red, orange, or yellow
28. fluorescent – very bright and seems to reflect light
29. fresh – clean colours
30. gay – brightly-coloured or attractive
31. glistening – sparkling or shining like glitter
32. glittering – shining; sparkling
33. glowing – glowing colours are bright and look warm
34. harmonious – harmonious colours or parts combine well with each other
35. harsh – very bright
36. iridescent – showing changing colours in different types of light
37. jazzy – bright, colourful, and attractive
38. loud – very bright in a way that does not show good taste
39. matching – with the same colour, pattern, or design
40. medium – neither light nor dark in colour
41. mellow – soft and warm in colour
42. multicoloured – consisting of several different colours
43. opalescent – seems always to be changing colour slightly
44. pastel – having a pale soft colour
45. prismatic – multi-coloured, brilliant, bright
46. psychedelic – brightly coloured and have big unusual patterns
47. pure – a pure colour is very clear and beautiful
48. restrained – not too bright in colour, or not decorated too much
49. rich – strong in a pleasant way
50. sepia – sepia photographs are old and are a red-brown colour
51. showy – brightly coloured and attractive
52. soft – pale, gentle and pleasant to look at
53. sombre – dark in colour, especially grey or black
54. splashy – brightly coloured
55. tinged – something that is tinged with a colour, feeling, or quality contains a small amount of it
56. tinted – containing a small amount of a particular colour
57. two-tone – two-tone shoes or clothes have two colours
58. vibrant – bright and colourful
59. violent – very bright and almost painful to look at
60. vivid – a vivid colour is strong and bright
61. warm – warm colours have red, orange, or yellow in them.
62. watery – pale

Words That Describe A Lack Of Colour

1. colourless – dull or lacking in colour
2. dotted – a series of small spots or marks
3. faded – less bright
4. flecked – having a spot or small patch of colour
5. light – lacking brightness or saturation
6. monochromatic – having one colour
7. monotone – all one colour
8. muted – subdued or softened colours
9. neutral – having very little colour
10. opaque – incapable of allowing light to pass through
11. pale – something light in colour or washed out
12. primary – basic colour
13. rustic – plain; simple
14. tinged – a small amount of colour
15. tinted – slightly coloured
16. translucent – allowing light to pass through
17. transparent – clear; see-through
18. watery – containing too much water; diluted

Words That Describe Specific Colours

1. alabaster – very white and smooth.
2. amber – between brown and yellow in colour.
3. amethyst – light purple.
4. apricot – a shade of pink tinged with yellow
5. avocado – with a pale green colour.
6. ash – the colour of ash
7. azure – bright blue.
8. baby-blue – light blue in colour.
9. beige – very pale brown in colour
10. black – having the darkest colour, like the sky at night when there is no light
11. blue – something that is blue is the same colour as the sky on a clear sunny day.
12. bluish – similar to blue or slightly blue in colour
13. bone – a shade of white the colour of a bleached skeleton
14. bottle green – very dark green
15. bronze – an attractive brown colour
16. brown – something that is brown is the same colour as wood or coffee
17. brownish – similar to brown or slightly brown in colour
18. burgundy – dark red
19. canary – having the colour of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
20. caramel – light yellowish-brown in colour
21. cerise – bright red-pink in colour
22. chalk – a pure flat white
23. charcoal – something that is charcoal is dark grey in colour
24. chartreuse – bright green-yellow in colour
25. cherry – a red the colour of ripe cherries
26. cinnamon – light red-brown in colour
27. claret – dark red in colour
28. cobalt blue – a shade of blue tinged with green
29. copper – red-brown in colour
30. coral – with a colour between pink and orange
31. cream – yellowish-white in colour
32. crimson – dark purple-red in colour
33. Day-Glo – extremely bright yellow, orange, pink, or green in colour
34. dove-grey – light grey in colour
35. dun – between brown and grey in colour
36. ebony – dark black in colour
37. ecru – very pale brown
38. eggshell – like an eggshell, for example white-yellow in colour, not very shiny, or thin and delicate
39. electric blue – very bright blue
40. emerald – bright green in colour
41. fawn – light brown in colour
42. flesh-coloured – the colour of white people’s skin
43. gold – something that is gold is the colour of gold
44. golden – bright yellow in colour
45. green – something that is green is the same colour as grass.
46. greenish – similar to green or slightly green in colour
47. greige – between very pale brown and grey in colour
48. grey – between black and white in colour (gray – the American spelling of grey)
49. hazel – light brown and slightly green or golden in colour, used especially for describing someone’s eyes
50. ice blue – a very light blue colour
51. indigo – between dark blue and purple in colour
52. inky – mainly literary black, or a very dark colour
53. iron-grey – dark grey in colour
54. ivory – something that is ivory is a yellowish-white colour
55. jet-black – very shiny and black in colour
56. lavender – light purple in colour
57. leaden – dull and dark grey in colour
58. lilac – pale purple in colour
59. lily-white – pure white
60. lime-green – bright yellow-green in colour
61. livid – mainly literary dark purple or blue-grey in colour
62. magenta – purple-red in colour
63. maroon – dark red-brown in colour
64. mauve – pale purple in colour
65. milk-white – the colour of milk
66. milky – the colour of milk
67. navy blue – very dark blue
68. nut-brown – medium brown in colour
69. off-white – slightly yellow or grey
70. olive – dark yellowish green in colour
71. olive – dark grey-green in colour, like many military uniforms
72. orange – between red and yellow in colour
73. orangey – similar to orange or slightly orange in colour
74. peach – yellowish pink in colour
75. peacock blue – dark blue-green in colour
76. pea green – bright green in colour
77. pink – between red and white in colour
78. pinkish – similar to pink or slightly pink in colour
79. pitch-black – completely black or dark
80. plum – between red and purple in colour
81. puce – between dark brown or dark red and purple
82. purple – between red and blue in colour
83. purplish – similar to purple or slightly purple in colour
84. red – the same colour as blood
85. reddish – similar to red, or slightly red
86. rose – dark pink in colour
87. roseate – pink in colour
88. rose-coloured – pink in colour
89. rosy – pink in colour
90. royal blue – deep blue
91. ruby – a deep red colour
92. ruddy – red in colour
93. russet – red-brown in colour
94. rusty – red-brown in colour
95. saffron – between bright yellow and orange in colour
96. salmon – orange tinged with pink
97. sandy – pale yellow in colour
98. scarlet – bright red in colour
99. sea-green – green-blue in colour
100. sepia – something that is sepia is a red-brown colour
101. shocking pink – very bright pink in colour
102. silver – light grey in colour
103. silvery – like silver in colour or appearance
104. sky-blue – the colour of the sky on a bright clear day
105. smoky – light grey in colour
106. snow-white – very white
107. sooty – black or dusky in colour
108. steely – steely blue is grey-blue in colour
109. straw-coloured – pale brown-yellow in colour
110. tan – light brown in colour
111. taupe – a brown-grey colour
112. tawny – between yellow and brown in colour
113. teal – between blue and green in colour
114. terracotta – brown-red in colour
115. turquoise – bright green-blue in colour
116. ultramarine – very bright blue in colour
117. umber – yellow or reddish brown in colour
118. vermilion – bright red or red-orange in colour
119. violet a- blue-purple in colour
120. white – something that is white is the same colour as milk or snow
121. whitish – similar to white or slightly white in colour
122. wine – something that is wine is a dark red colour
123. yellow a- something that is yellow is the same colour as the middle of an egg
124. yellowish – similar to yellow or slightly yellow in colour

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 by Amanda Patterson

© Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

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2. Where Should You Begin Your Memoir?
3. Use These 7 Gaslighting Phrases To Make Your Antagonist More Manipulative
4. 75 Words That Describe Smells
5. 106 Ways To Describe Sounds
6. 20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
7. 209 Words To Describe Touch
8. Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
9. 12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting

Sources:
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar/word-lists/list-of-words-to-describe-colors.html
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/words-used-to-describe-specific-colours
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/general-words-used-to-describe-colours