colour
gb/kˈʌlɚ/ us/kˈʌlɚ/
A1
English
~ 700
szín, festék, színezék, színez, fest, kiszínez, arcszín, színezet, jelleg
NOUN
A1
1
szín
A1
Usage pattern:
the colour of [something]
The walls were painted a soft blue colour.
A falakat halványkék színűre festették.
Autumn leaves change colour from green to red and yellow.
Az őszi levelek színe zöldről pirosra és sárgára változik.
She wore a dress the same colour as the ocean.
The artist mixed several paints to get the right colour.
This gemstone has a unique colour that shifts in the light.
Learner examples
My favourite colour is green.
A kedvenc színem a zöld.
The sky is blue in the morning.
Reggel kék az ég.
Her shirt is red.
This flower has a yellow colour.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'colour' with 'shade' or 'pattern'. 'Colour' refers to the general visual property, while 'shade' is a variation of a particular colour.
Meaning
Appearance created by reflected light
Collocations
bright colour
|favourite colour
|change colour
|colour scheme
|colour palette
Synonyms
hue (More technical or artistic term for a specific shade or tint.)
Antonyms
colorlessness (The absence of any hue or visual property from reflected light.)
Themes
art
|science
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
How something looks because of the light it reflects, like red, blue, or green.
The visual property of an object that results from the way it reflects or emits light, producing sensations such as red, blue, green, etc.
NOUN
A2
2
Usage pattern:
[something] in [a colour]
He bought some red colour to paint the fence.
Vett egy kis piros festéket, hogy lefestse a kerítést.
The printer is out of yellow colour.
A nyomtatóból kifogyott a sárga festék.
This fabric has been treated with natural colours.
The chef added food colouring to the icing.
Learner examples
I need blue colour for my picture.
Kék festékre van szükségem a képemhez.
She used red colour to paint the car.
Piros festéket használt az autó lefestéséhez.
We put green colour on the wall.
Meaning
Substance for producing a hue
Collocations
watercolour paint
|fabric colour
|hair colour
|food colouring
Synonyms
pigment (More technical term often used in art and science for the substance that gives colour.)
Themes
art
|crafts
|arts_entertainment
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A substance like paint or dye that makes things a certain colour.
A substance such as paint, ink, or dye that is used to produce a particular hue.
VERB
A2
3
Usage pattern:
to colour [something] [adjective/noun]
She coloured her hair dark brown.
Sötétbarnára festette a haját.
The children coloured in the pictures.
A gyerekek kiszínezték a képeket.
He coloured the drawing with crayons.
They coloured the eggs for Easter.
Learner examples
I will colour my hair black.
Feketére fogom festeni a hajamat.
The boy colours the picture.
A fiú kiszínezi a képet.
We colour the eggs for the party.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'colour' (verb) with 'paint' — 'paint' often means covering a surface fully, while 'colour' can also mean filling in parts of an image.
Meaning
To add hue to something
Collocations
colour in
|colour hair
|colour picture
Synonyms
dye (Specifically refers to colouring fabrics or hair with a liquid substance.)
Antonyms
bleach (To remove or lighten the colour of something.)
Themes
art
|daily life
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To put paint, dye, or another substance on something to change its colour.
To apply pigment, dye, or paint to change the appearance of something by giving it a different hue.
NOUN
B1
4
He lost all colour when he heard the bad news.
Minden szín kifutott az arcából, amikor meghallotta a rossz hírt.
Her cheeks were full of colour after the run.
A futás után egészséges szín volt az arcán.
Illness had drained him of his usual healthy colour.
Learner examples
Her face has no colour.
Nincs szín az arcában.
He gets more colour after running.
Futás után jobb színe lesz.
She lost her colour when she was afraid.
Meaning
Skin tone showing health or feelings
Collocations
lose colour
|face full of colour
Synonyms
complexion (Refers more generally to the natural color and texture of skin.)
Themes
health
|emotions
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The look of someone's skin that shows their health or feelings.
The appearance of a person's skin as an indicator of health, emotion, or complexion.
NOUN
B2
5
The writer's descriptions bring local colour to the story.
Az író leírásai helyi színezetet visznek a történetbe.
His speech had a distinctly political colour.
Beszédének határozottan politikai színezete volt.
Travel adds cultural colour to one's life experiences.
Learner examples
The book has local colour about the city.
A könyvben megjelenik a város helyi színezete.
Her words have political colour.
A szavainak politikai színezete van.
The trip gives more colour to his life.
Meaning
Distinctive quality or character
Collocations
local colour
|political colour
Synonyms
flavour (Figurative sense meaning special quality; 'flavour' is often interchangeable in this context.)
Themes
culture
|communication
|core_vocabulary
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A special quality that makes something interesting or different.
A distinctive quality, style, or character that adds interest or individuality to something, often used figuratively.
Grammar
Dictionary form
colour
IPA
GB/kˈʌlɚ/
US/kˈʌlɚ/
Syllables & stress
col - our (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (col)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: colour
- Variant Spelling: color
- Plural: colour, colours
Verb
- Base: colour
- Variant Spelling: color
- 3rd Person Singular: colours
- Present Participle: colouring
- Past: coloured
Word family
Core family
colourful
adjective A2
Related words
colourfully
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
colourless
adjective
Advanced or less common
discolour
verb
Highlights
- Spelling Variant: color Verb
- Spelling Variant: color Noun
Expressions
add colour to [something]
1/ˈæd kˈʌlɚ tə sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Make more interesting or lively
To make something more interesting and exciting.
Examples
- Her stories always add colour to our meetings.
- Music can add colour to any celebration.
off-colour
1/ˈɔf kˈʌlɚ/
idiom
informal
Feeling slightly sick or not well
Feeling a little sick or not in good health.
Examples
- I'm feeling a bit off-colour today.
- He looked off-colour after eating too much.
show one's true colours
1/ʃˈoʊ wˈʌnz tɹˈu kˈʌlɚz/
idiom
Reveal real self or motives
To show what you are really like, especially your bad qualities.
Examples
- He seemed nice at first, but later he showed his true colours.
- She finally showed her true colours when she refused to help.
with flying colours
1/wˈɪθ flˈaɪɪŋ kˈʌlɚz/
idiom
Achieve great success easily
To succeed at something very well and easily.
Examples
- She passed the test with flying colours.
- They completed the project with flying colours.
in cold blood
1/ˈɪn kˈoʊld blˈʌd/
idiom
deliberately and without emotion (esp. killing)
To do something bad on purpose and without feeling sorry, especially killing someone.
Examples
- The victim was murdered in cold blood.
- The crime was committed in cold blood.
- He shot them in cold blood.
- He killed them in cold blood after planning it for weeks.
- He killed the animal in cold blood.
in cold blood
2/ˈɪn kˈoʊld blˈʌd/
idiom
Deliberately and without mercy (often killing)
To do something on purpose without feeling sorry, usually something very bad like killing someone.
Examples
- The crime was committed in cold blood.
- He murdered them in cold blood.