ENGLISH
REFERENCE

beige

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈbeɪʒ// UK //bˈeɪʒ// beige Informal

adj. having a pale sandy-yellow or light brown color. People often use this word to describe something that is a bit boring or lacks a strong personality.

adj. describes a pale, sandy-yellow or light brownish-grey color. Often carries a figurative connotation of being bland, unoriginal, or lacking distinct character.


SIMPLE

The walls are painted a soft beige color.

CONTEXTUAL

She decided to wear a beige suit to the interview to maintain a professional and neutral appearance.

COMPLEX

While the architect praised the building's minimalist aesthetic, critics dismissed the interior design as safe, beige, and ultimately forgettable.

Synonyms
Origin

Unadapted borrowing from French (dialectal) beige, from Old French bege (“color of undyed wool or cotton”), from an Alpine language (compare Franco-Provençal bézho, Romansch besch (“dull grey”)), from Vulgar Latin *bysseus (“cottony grey”) (compare French bis, Catalan bis, Italian bigio), from Late Latin byssus (“cotton”), from Ancient Greek βύσσος (bússos, “cotton homespun”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew/Aramaic בוץ (būṣ)). Doublet of bice.

Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'is' or 'seems' to imply a lack of excitement.

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