colored

[ kuhl-erd ]
See synonyms for colored on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. having color.

  2. Older Use: Offensive. belonging wholly or in part to any group of nonwhite people, especially to Black people.

  1. Older Use: Offensive. pertaining to Black people.

  2. influenced or biased: colored opinions.

  3. specious; deceptive: The authorities detected a colored quality in her statement.

  4. Botany. of some hue other than green.

noun
  1. Older Use: Offensive.

    • a Black person.

    • the colored, Black people as a group.

Origin of colored

1
A Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at color, -ed3

usage note For colored

2, 3, 7. See Black1.

Other words from colored

  • half-colored, adjective
  • un·col·ored, adjective
  • un·col·ored·ly, adverb
  • un·col·ored·ness, noun
  • un·der·col·ored, adjective
  • well-colored, adjective

Words Nearby colored

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use colored in a sentence

  • He conceived an idea of securing agents among the colored people, and in that way effect a good sale.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • The clear, straw-colored fluid which is left after separation of the coagulum is called blood-serum.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • The intricate perforations of the lamp were inset with colored glass, and the result was a subdued and warm illumination.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them.

  • In the nine differently colored circular tracks, rolled little globes representing the planets.

    Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown Fyfe