Word
blonde
US/ˈbɫɑnd/
UK/blˈɒnd/
Definitions
01hair colour
adj. having pale yellow or gold hair.
adj. describing hair of a pale golden or yellowish colour.
“The little girl has long blonde hair that shines in the sun.”
“The actress was required to dye her naturally dark hair a bright blonde for the period drama set in the 1950s.”
Pitfall
He is a blonde man.
He is a blond man.
In traditional usage, 'blonde' with an 'e' describes women, while 'blond' describes men.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02a person
n. a person, usually a woman, who has pale yellow hair.
n. a person with fair hair; the feminine form 'blonde' is significantly more common than the masculine 'blond' when used as a noun.
“The tall blonde in the blue dress is my sister.”
“The casting director was specifically looking for a blonde to play the lead role in the upcoming romantic comedy.”
Antonyms
03stupid or naive
adj. a rude way to say someone is acting stupid or slow to understand.
adj. used pejoratively to imply that a person, typically a woman, is unintelligent or naive.
“I had a total blonde moment and forgot where I parked my car.”
“He made a dismissive joke about her having a blonde moment, which was met with stony silence from the rest of the team.”
Informal · Humorous
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'a blonde moment' to describe a temporary lapse in concentration.
Teaching tip
This sense relies on a negative stereotype and can be seen as offensive; learners should use it with caution.
Synonyms
Antonyms
04studio lamp
n. a powerful 2,000-watt light used in film and television.
n. a 2,000-watt open-faced tungsten-halogen lamp used for floodlighting in studio environments.
“The crew set up a blonde to brighten the background of the scene.”
“The cinematographer requested an additional blonde to provide a high-intensity fill light for the large interior set.”
Technical
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle French blonde f. See blond.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The word in film
Poster: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes · 1928 · Comedy
- Directed by:
- Malcolm St. Clair
- Starring:
- Ruth Taylor, Alice White, Ford Sterling, Holmes Herbert
Malcolm St. Clair directs this silent comedy adaptation of Anita Loos's satirical novel, starring Ruth Taylor as the ambitious Lorelei Lee. The title uses the noun sense to describe a fair-haired woman whose glamour and charm attract wealthy suitors. Throughout the story, the characters humorously navigate high-society expectations and romantic rivalry.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/blonde