ENGLISH
REFERENCE

colorful

adj.
A1 Beginner US //ˈkəɫɝfəɫ// col·or·ful General-service Humorous

adj. having many bright colors or being very interesting and exciting. You can use it to describe a bright painting or a person who has an unusual life.

adj. possessing many or varied colors; by extension, vivid, distinctive, or full of interest. Often used figuratively to describe language or characters that are slightly scandalous or unconventional.


SIMPLE

The garden is full of colorful flowers in the spring.

CONTEXTUAL

The old sailor told us many colorful stories about his adventures across the seven seas.

COMPLEX

The festival was a colorful display of local traditions, featuring elaborate costumes and vibrant street performances that attracted thousands of tourists from around the globe.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From color + -ful.

Usage

Can be used literally for visual appearance or figuratively for character and language.

Pitfall

a more colorfuler paintinga more colorful paintingColorful is a multi-syllable adjective and forms its comparative with 'more' rather than the suffix '-er'.

© 2026 English Reference