colorful
KUHL-uh-fl
Colorful (adjective) means Full of bright or varied colors. Example: “The market stalls were piled high with colorful fruit.”
adjective
1
Full of bright or varied colors.
"The market stalls were piled high with colorful fruit."
"She wore a colorful scarf that stood out in the crowd."
"The children painted the fence in colorful stripes of red, yellow and blue."
2
Lively, vivid, or full of interesting character.
"He told a colorful story about his years working on cruise ships."
"Their neighbour is a colorful character who never seems to run out of stories."
"The old pub's colorful history includes smugglers, ghosts and a famous cat."
How to use colorful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFull of bright colors, or full of vivid, interesting character.
UK vs US
American spelling; British English uses "colourful."
Easily confused with
Common pairings
colorful character
colorful language
colorful display
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more colorful
- Superlative
- most colorful
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The market stalls were piled high with _____ fruit.
Etymology
From color plus -ful.
Synonyms
View more →
vivid
bright
vibrant
kaleidoscopic
showy
lively
colored
colourful
coloured
multicolored
polychromatic
Antonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “colorful” mean?
The word “colorful” means full of bright or varied colors. In plain terms, full of bright colors, or full of vivid, interesting character.
How do you pronounce “colorful”?
“Colorful” is pronounced KUHL-uh-fl (/ˈkʌl.əɹ.fl̩/ in IPA).
How do you use “colorful” in a sentence?
Here is “colorful” used in a sentence: “The market stalls were piled high with colorful fruit.”
What is another word for “colorful”?
Words with a similar meaning to “colorful” include multicolored and polychromatic.
What part of speech is “colorful”?
“Colorful” is an adjective.
Is “colorful” a common word?
“Colorful” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “colorful” have?
“Colorful” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: full of bright or varied colors.
What is the difference between colorful and vibrant?
Colorful mainly describes something containing many bright or varied colors, while vibrant emphasizes intensity and energy, which can apply to color but also to personality, atmosphere, or sound. A painting can be colorful without being vibrant if its colors are muted, and a vibrant scene may involve energy beyond just color.
Can colorful describe a person's character rather than color?
Yes, colorful is commonly used figuratively to describe someone or something lively, vivid, or full of interesting character, such as a colorful personality or a colorful history. This sense has nothing to do with literal color and instead highlights variety and vividness of experience.
Is colorful the same as multicolored?
Not exactly. Multicolored simply means having several colors, while colorful adds a sense of brightness or vividness, and can also carry the figurative meaning of lively or interesting, which multicolored does not.
