blonde
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1 hair colour (adj.) A1 Beginnerhaving pale yellow or gold hair.
describing hair of a pale golden or yellowish colour.
ExampleThe little girl has long blonde hair that shines in the sun.
ExampleThe actress was required to dye her naturally dark hair a bright blonde for the period drama set in the 1950s.
PitfallHe is a blonde man.He is a blond man.In traditional usage, 'blonde' with an 'e' describes women, while 'blond' describes men.
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2 a person (n.) A2 Elementarya person, usually a woman, who has pale yellow hair.
a person with fair hair; the feminine form 'blonde' is significantly more common than the masculine 'blond' when used as a noun.
ExampleThe tall blonde in the blue dress is my sister.
ExampleThe casting director was specifically looking for a blonde to play the lead role in the upcoming romantic comedy.
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3 stupid or naive (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Humorousa rude way to say someone is acting stupid or slow to understand.
used pejoratively to imply that a person, typically a woman, is unintelligent or naive.
ExampleI had a total blonde moment and forgot where I parked my car.
ExampleHe made a dismissive joke about her having a blonde moment, which was met with stony silence from the rest of the team.
UsageOften used in the phrase 'a blonde moment' to describe a temporary lapse in concentration.
Teacher's tipThis sense relies on a negative stereotype and can be seen as offensive; learners should use it with caution.
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4 studio lamp (n.) C2 Proficiency Technical Sciencea powerful 2,000-watt light used in film and television.
a 2,000-watt open-faced tungsten-halogen lamp used for floodlighting in studio environments.
ExampleThe crew set up a blonde to brighten the background of the scene.
ExampleThe cinematographer requested an additional blonde to provide a high-intensity fill light for the large interior set.
From Middle French blonde f. See blond.