colored
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.having a color or being colorful rather than black and white.
adj.possessing a specific hue or variety of hues; often used in contrast to monochrome or transparent states.
Simple“The children used colored pencils to draw a bright rainbow.”
In context“The photographer preferred colored filters to enhance the natural warmth of the desert landscape during the golden hour.”
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.influenced by a particular feeling, opinion, or bias.
adj.distorted or influenced by a particular prejudice, emotion, or perspective; often used to describe reports or memories.
Simple“His memory of the event was colored by his anger at the time.”
In context“The witness's testimony was clearly colored by her long-standing professional rivalry with the defendant.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.an old word for people who are not white; today, this is considered very offensive in many places.
adj.a racial descriptor for non-white individuals, particularly those of African descent. In modern American and British contexts, this term is considered highly offensive and derogatory.
Simple“The museum displayed signs from the 1950s that showed where colored people were allowed to sit.”
In context“The historian analyzed the segregationist policies that mandated separate facilities for white and colored citizens during the Jim Crow era.”
UsageIn modern English, this term is almost exclusively found in historical texts or used as a slur.
Teacher's tipLearners must avoid using this term to describe people in modern contexts as it is deeply offensive; 'people of color' is the modern, respectful alternative in the US.
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.clothes that are not white and should be washed together.
n.items of laundry that are not white and may bleed dye if washed at high temperatures.
Simple“Make sure you separate the whites from the coloreds before starting the laundry.”
In context“The instruction manual suggests washing coloreds in cold water to prevent the fabric from fading over time.”
Antonyms
“Upon their heads are brightly coloured headscarves of yellow, red and green.”
“At the entrance of a little hole in the muddy river bank she points to a patch of dark brown in the lighter coloured mud.”
From color + -ed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.