colored
gb/kˈʌlɚd/ us/kˈʌlɚd/
A2
Kiingereza
~ 6100
Maana
maana 0
adjective
A2
property
1
having one or more colors
Having color; not just black, white, and gray.
Muundo wa matumizi:
colored [noun]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes say *'in coloured'* instead of 'in color' when talking about TV, movies, or photos. In modern English, we usually say 'a color TV', 'in color', or 'colored pencils', not *'in coloured'. Also, 'colorful' suggests many bright colors and can imply that something is lively or interesting, while 'colored' is more neutral and just states that something has color.
Visawe
tinted (Suggests a light or partial amount of added color, often more delicate than simply 'colored'.)
Vinyume
black-and-white (Describes images or films that use only shades of gray, without full color.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
colored pencils
|colored lights
|colored paper
|colored photos
|brightly colored
Mada
daily_life
|art
|media
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- She bought a pack of colored pencils for her art class.
- The festival was full of brightly colored banners and flags.
- I prefer colored photos to black-and-white ones when I’m making an album.
- They hung colored lights around the patio for the party.
- The children were given colored paper to make decorations.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- He drew a house with colored pens.
- The movie is in colored film, not black-and-white.
- We used colored balloons for the birthday.
- I like to write my notes with colored markers.
- The shop sells many colored shirts.
adjective
B2
property
2
influenced, not neutral or objective
Not neutral; showing someone’s feelings or ideas instead of only facts.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a colored [opinion/view/account/comment]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the basic idea of something simply having color. When you say 'a colored view' or 'his judgment is colored', it does NOT mean it has literal color; it means it is influenced or biased. For the literal sense, you would normally talk about 'a colored picture' or 'colored lights', not 'a colored opinion'.
Visawe
biased (More direct and common word for being unfairly influenced; 'colored' is slightly more formal or careful in tone.)
Vinyume
objective (Emphasizes being based only on facts, with no personal feelings influencing the view.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
colored view
|colored opinion
|colored account
|emotionally colored
|politically colored
Mada
communication
|politics
|media
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- Her memories of that time are colored by the stories her parents told her.
- The article gives a clearly colored view of the situation, favoring one political side.
- His report was emotionally colored and did not present the data in a neutral way.
- Because of their past conflict, his judgment of her work is heavily colored.
- The documentary is subtly colored by the filmmaker’s personal experiences.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- His opinion of the company is colored by his bad experience there.
- The story in that movie is colored by the writer’s own life.
- Her view of the city is colored because she only stayed in a rich area.
- My first visit was bad, so my idea of the country is colored.
- The news report is colored by the TV channel’s politics.
Kitenzi
B1
action
3
added color to something
Past tense of 'color': put color on or into something.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone] colored [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'color' and 'paint'. 'Color' is often used for drawing or filling in with crayons, colored pencils, or markers, especially in children’s activities. 'Paint' usually suggests using liquid paint and a brush. Saying 'I colored the wall' sounds like using crayons or markers, not normal wall paint.
Visawe
dyed (More common for hair, cloth, or material; 'colored' is more general and often used for drawing or painting.)
Vinyume
bleached (Means to remove color from something, often making it white or very pale.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
colored the picture
|colored his hair
|carefully colored
|brightly colored it
|colored the drawing
Mada
art
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- She colored the flowers in with bright red and yellow crayons.
- He colored his hair blue for the concert.
- The children proudly showed the pictures they had colored in class.
- The designer colored the logo in several different shades to test the look.
- We colored the eggs together before the holiday.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The girl colored the picture with crayons.
- He colored his hair black last week.
- The students colored many small flags.
- My little brother colored on the wall.
- They colored the map to show each country.
Kitenzi
B2
action
4
influenced or distorted by feelings
Made an opinion, story, or feeling less neutral because of personal emotions or ideas.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[something] colored [someone]'s [judgment/opinion/memories]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may think this is always negative, like 'ruined'. In fact, 'colored' can be positive or neutral; it simply means that personal feelings or experiences change the way something is seen. Context tells whether the influence is good, bad, or mixed.
Visawe
tainted (Suggests a negative or spoiled influence more strongly than 'colored', which can be neutral or mild.)
Vinyume
neutralized (Suggests removing or balancing out personal influence so that something becomes more neutral again.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
colored his judgment
|colored my view
|colored their memories
|colored her reaction
|colored the discussion
Mada
emotions
|communication
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- Her early success colored her expectations for the rest of her career.
- The bitter argument colored his judgment of his colleague’s later work.
- Growing up in poverty colored his view of money and risk.
- The way the story was told colored our understanding of what actually happened.
- His fear of failure colored every decision he made about his future.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- His bad childhood colored his ideas about family.
- The fight colored how she saw her friend.
- Her first bad job colored her opinion of big companies.
- That sad movie colored my mood for the whole day.
- The teacher’s words colored how the students thought about the book.
adjective
vulgar
C1
property
5
offensive term for Black people
An old word for a Black person or other non‑white person. It is now offensive and should not be used.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a colored [man/woman/person/neighborhood]
Kosa la kawaida:
Some learners mistakenly think 'colored person' is a polite or modern phrase. In most current English, this is offensive. Use 'Black person' or other locally appropriate, respectful terms (for example, 'a person of color' in some contexts), not 'a colored person'. Also, do not confuse this with neutral phrases like 'colored pencils', which are completely different.
Visawe
Black (Neutral modern term for people of African ancestry; 'colored' is outdated and offensive in most current English.)
Vinyume
white (Refers to people socially classified as white, often contrasted with people described (offensively, in older usage) as 'colored'.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
colored people
|a colored man
|a colored woman
|colored neighborhood
|colored community
Mada
society
|discrimination
|relationships
|politics
Mifano
- The novel, written in the 1940s, repeatedly refers to the town’s colored residents, reflecting the language of that time.
- In many countries today, calling someone a colored person is seen as rude and offensive.
- The museum exhibition explains how the term 'colored' was used on signs that separated public spaces by race.
- Older legal documents in the region still use categories such as 'white', 'colored', and 'native'.
- Teachers now explicitly tell students not to use the word 'colored' for people because it is hurtful and outdated.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- You should not call a person 'colored' today; it is offensive.
- In old books, you may see the phrase 'colored people'.
- The teacher said the word 'colored' for people is not okay now.
- Some old signs used the word 'colored' to separate people.
- Modern English uses other words; 'colored' for people sounds racist.
Nomino
vulgar
C2
entity
6
offensive noun for a Black person
An old word for a Black person (or sometimes any non‑white person). It is now offensive and should not be used.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a colored; the colored
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may not realize this noun is even more shocking than the adjective in many contexts. It should never be used for people in modern speech, except when directly quoting historical language and clearly marking it as offensive.
Visawe
Black person (Neutral, respectful modern term; 'colored' as a noun is outdated and offensive.)
Vinyume
white person (Refers to people socially classified as white, historically contrasted with those called 'colored'.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
a colored
|the colored
|coloreds
|for coloreds only
Mada
society
|discrimination
|relationships
|politics
Mifano
- The sign above the door read 'Coloreds', a painful reminder of the segregation era.
- In the memoir, she recalls being told that only coloreds could sit at the back of the bus.
- Modern style guides strongly warn against using 'colored' as a noun for a person.
- The film includes dialogue where white characters insultingly call their neighbors 'coloreds'.
- A note at the front of the book explains that the word 'colored' was common then but is now considered offensive.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- Today, it is wrong to call someone 'a colored'.
- Old movies sometimes show signs saying 'for coloreds only'.
- Writers now avoid the word 'colored' for people.
- The word 'colored' as a noun sounds racist in modern English.
- You may read 'coloreds' in history books, but you should not say it now.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
colored
IPA
GB/kˈʌlɚd/
US/kˈʌlɚd/
Silabi na mkazo
colored (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (colored)
Maumbo ya neno
Adjective
- Base: colored
Noun
- Base: colored
- Plural: coloreds
Familia ya neno
Semi
a colored view of something
3/ə kˈʌlɚd vjˈu əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
a biased or influenced view
An opinion about something that is not neutral because it is influenced by someone’s feelings or situation.
Mifano
- Growing up in a very rich area gave him a colored view of poverty.
- Because she only read one author, she has a colored view of that period in history.
- Media from only one country can give you a colored view of world events.
a rose-colored view
2/ə ɹˈoʊz kˈʌlɚd vjˈu/
idiom
too positive opinion of something
An opinion that is too positive and does not include the bad or difficult parts of something.
Mifano
- The article gives a rose-colored view of life in big cities.
- Tourists often have a rose-colored view of the country after only a short visit.
- Because she has never worked there, she has a rather rose-colored view of that company.
through rose-colored glasses
1/θɹˈu ɹˈoʊz kˈʌlɚd ɡlˈæsɪz/
idiom
see only the good parts
To look at a person or situation and notice mainly the good things, not the problems or bad parts.
Mifano
- When he talks about his childhood, he sees it through rose-colored glasses and forgets how hard it really was.
- Investors who look at the market through rose-colored glasses may ignore serious risks.
- She views her relationship through rose-colored glasses and doesn’t see the warning signs.