Definitions
01the colour
B1 · Intermediate
adj. having a pale, sandy-brown or yellowish-grey colour.
adj. having a light, neutral colour between pale brown and off-white.
日本語:ベージュ※
“She chose a beige carpet because it matches almost any furniture.”
“The interior designer recommended a beige palette for the living room to create a neutral backdrop for the client's vibrant art collection.”
02boring or dull
C1 · Advanced Informal
adj. boring, plain, or not having any exciting qualities.
adj. metaphorically dull, unadventurous, or lacking in character; often implies a safe but uninspiring middle-class aesthetic.
“The new office building is a bit beige and lacks any interesting features.”
“Critics dismissed the film as beige, arguing that it relied on safe tropes rather than taking any creative risks.”
Teaching tip
This figurative sense is increasingly common in modern slang to describe people or lifestyles that are 'too safe' or conventional.
03the name of the colour
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. a pale brown or yellowish-grey colour.
n. a pale yellowish-brown colour, similar to the appearance of unbleached wool.
“The walls were painted in a soft shade of beige.”
“The artist used various tones of beige and cream to capture the subtle textures of the desert landscape.”
Synonyms
Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/beige
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0