ebony

7 synonyms for ebony, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A hard, dense, nearly black wood from certain tropical trees, prized for furniture and instruments.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

sable jet black coal black soot black ebony tree pitch black ebon

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A hard, dense, nearly black wood from certain tropical trees, prized for furniture and instruments.

“The chess set was carved from ebony and pale maple.”

sable jet black coal black soot black ebony tree pitch black

2. adj

Deep black, or made from ebony wood.

“He wore an ebony ring carved by a local craftsman.”

ebon

How to use ebony

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

ebony wood ebony keys ebony and ivory

Etymology

From Latin hebenus and ultimately Egyptian hbnj, via Greek ébenos — the same root word travelled through several languages before settling as "ebony" in English.

Full origin of ebony →

Frequently asked questions

What does “ebony” mean?

The word “ebony” means a hard, dense, nearly black wood from certain tropical trees, prized for furniture and instruments. In plain terms, a very dark, dense wood — or simply a deep black colour, as in "ebony hair.".

How do you pronounce “ebony”?

“Ebony” is pronounced EHB-uhn-ee (/ˈɛb.ən.i/ in IPA).

How do you use “ebony” in a sentence?

Here is “ebony” used in a sentence: “The chess set was carved from ebony and pale maple.”

What part of speech is “ebony”?

Depending on how it is used, “ebony” can be a noun and an adjective.

Where does the word “ebony” come from?

The word “ebony” comes from Latin. From Latin hebenus and ultimately Egyptian hbnj, via Greek ébenos — the same root word travelled through several languages before settling as "ebony" in English.

Is “ebony” a common word?

“Ebony” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “ebony” have?

“Ebony” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hard, dense, nearly black wood from certain tropical trees, prized for furniture and instruments.

Related words

Ebonics calamander cocuswood ebon ebonise ebonite tendu

People also searched

sable ebon

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of ebony