Word
brunette
US/bɹuˈnɛt/
UK/bɹʌnˈɛt/
Definitions
01a person with brown hair
n. a person, especially a woman, with dark brown hair.
n. a person, most commonly a woman or girl, who has dark brown hair.
“The actress is a natural brunette, but she dyed her hair blonde for the movie.”
“The casting director specified that they were looking for a brunette to play the lead role to contrast with the other characters.”
Usage
In traditional usage, the spelling 'brunette' is feminine and 'brunet' is masculine, though the feminine spelling is now frequently used for all genders.
Pitfall
He is a brunette.
He is a brunet.
While 'brunette' is often used for everyone today, traditionally 'brunette' refers to women and 'brunet' refers to men.
Teaching tip
While the word is common, some modern speakers prefer simply saying 'brown-haired' to avoid the gendered history of the term.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02having brown hair
adj. having dark brown hair.
adj. describing a person who has dark brown hair.
“She has long, brunette hair that shines in the sun.”
“The portrait depicted a young woman with striking brunette features and deep green eyes.”
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it describes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French brunette, the feminine form of brunet, from brun (“brown”). Doublet of burnet.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/brunette