Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Full of color; abounding in colors.
- adjective Characterized by rich variety; vividly distinctive.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective having striking color. Opposite of
colorless . - adjective striking in variety and interest. Opposite of
colorless ordull . - adjective having color or a certain color; not black, white or grey. Opposite of
colorless andmonochrome .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Possessing prominent andvaried colors . - adjective
Interesting ,multifaceted ,energetic ,distinctive . - adjective euphemistic
Profane ,obscene ,offensive (usually in the phrase colourful language).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective striking in variety and interest
- adjective having striking color
- adjective having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In vignettes centering on a fiery local waitress, a seventh-generation fisherman, the doyenne of a fading lesbian power culture, an unrepentant jinx, and other characters for whom the term colorful does scant justice, he introduces a community bound by tradition, superstition, recalcitrance, and a profound, more visceral than affectionate love for the sea.
unknown title 2009
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CHO: Yes, that's what you call a colorful preview of tonight's annual Memorial Day concert in the nation's capital.
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"There is the Tasmanian myth," he says, the Norse-Viking myth and the Adam and Eve myth - which he describes as colorful, interesting and "of course, all false."
The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post Sally Quinn 2011
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APPLETON - The exhibit closing Sunday at the History Museum at the Castle carries a title colorful and descriptive: "Times They Are A-Changing."
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It's just that, a setting with instant recognition that allows them to have all kinds of crazy but recognisable enemies that can be destroyed in 'colorful' ways.
Welcome To Hell SVGL 2009
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Women in colorful dress and white hats crouched by the river, dipping their blankets in the gray water running by and beating them with wooden sticks -- their primitive method of washing.
Xiu Min Li: "Look for Self-Help in Time of Disaster, Not the Party" Xiu Min Li 2010
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Surveying the shelves crammed with candies in colorful wrappers, I ask Cohen, Have you got Razzles?
Saveur: Classic Candy Time Line: From Hopjes to Zotz Saveur 2010
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Women in colorful dress and white hats crouched by the river, dipping their blankets in the gray water running by and beating them with wooden sticks -- their primitive method of washing.
Xiu Min Li: "Look for Self-Help in Time of Disaster, Not the Party" Xiu Min Li 2010
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These cupcakes have a vanilla butter cake base and are topped with a marshmallow cream cheese frosting that is coated in colorful sugar - just like Peeps are.
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At one point, our group was taken to a bountiful restaurant where young waiters dressed in colorful cowboy outfits hurtled to and fro.
Nikolas Kozloff: Part III: What Is the Brazilian Brand? Nikolas Kozloff 2010
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