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to color

to color

80 6.5
To change someone's opinion or how a story appears, often unfairly
  • verb
  • /ˈkʌlər/
  • US
translation icon : colorear
  • Well, that has obviously colored your attitude a bit.
  • perceptions were colored
  • colored by wishful thinking
  • be colored by experience

that invade your mind and colour your view of reality.

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Examples

  • What I privately think mustn't color the mood of this fine safari.

  • Rarely, if ever, is the teacher supposed to color the opinions of his pupils.

    Academic text (1995)
  • When these people reach out again and we know what they want, Jane will help color who they are.

  • Basically, new information has come in that colors our perception.

  • My racial presentation colors how other people deal with me.

  • We have intervening memories, and each new memory colors our perceptions of our old memories.

  • Hemingway's Cuba was colored by a small-town atmosphere, far from the noise of Havana.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The news report was biased, which colors the public's understanding of the event.

  • Her personal experiences will inevitably color her perspective on the situation.

  • The introduction of misleading data can color the research findings significantly.

Synonyms

to distort
vsto color
97 4.6

To change facts so they become false or misleading

can influence opinions without actually making their meaning false
to tinge
vsto color
1 4.8

To add a small amount of color or feeling to something

can strongly affect opinions or alter the truth rather than only slightly

Antonyms

248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

Idioms

A different matter from what was discussed

To think or act in a new and creative way without following usual rules

Phrasal Verbs

7 1.4

To fill parts of a picture with crayons or paint

To put small spots of color over a surface like a shirt or wall

Compounds

37 3.6

People who are not white, for example Black, Asian, or Indigenous

32 1.7

The natural tone of a person's skin that usually comes from their parents

19 3.4

A planned set of colors used to make a room or item look good

12 1.0

How light or dark the part of the eye around the pupil looks

11 1.0

A television that shows pictures in color

8 4.0

Unable to tell some colors apart, often red and green

off-color
  • Offensive
7 7.7

Slightly rude or indecent in a way meant to be funny

6 4.1

A person who is not white, often used when talking about race

5 2.2

A basic color like red, blue, or yellow that you mix to make other colors

3 5.0

A group of people who carry a national or military flag during ceremonies

color line
  • Formal
3 7.9

A barrier that keeps Black people from taking part equally with white people

3 1.0

A television that shows pictures in color rather than black and white

3 4.0

Not treating people differently because of their race when choosing people for jobs or schools

color barrier
  • Offensive
3 5.9

A rule or practice that keeps Black people and other races from taking part equally with white people

3 5.6

A policy or attitude that does not consider people's race, often hiding unequal treatment

2 3.7

Unable to see the difference between some colors, often red and green

2 3.0

A single, even color with no pattern or shade change

A small area of bright color added to make something look more lively

1 2.4

A chart showing many colors to help you choose one

1 2.5

To see and tell different colors with your eyes

complementary color
  • Specialized
1 4.0

Two colors that make white light or grey when mixed, like red and green

color of law
  • Formal
1 8.9

Acting as if you have legal power when you do not, often to do illegal acts

1 3.2

A round chart that shows how colors are related and which colors match well

color spectrum
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A range of visible colors from red to violet when light passes through a prism

1 3.4

A paint made by mixing color with oil that artists use

1 3.7

A process in which something becomes a different color

1 3.9

A circle that shows how colors are related, for example primary and opposite colors

1 3.6

A system that uses different colors to show groups or information

1 8.3

A soldier who carries the unit's flag in battle or ceremonies

1 3.7

Not able to tell some colors, often red and green

1 6.1

The idea that race should not matter when treating people, often hiding real unfairness

A person who cannot tell some colors apart

1 2.3

A reddish-brown color like shiny metal used for coins and wires

1 3.9

A natural color made from soil, usually brown, yellow or red, used in art

1 3.5

A natural soft color like brown or green that looks like soil

food color
  • Specialized
1 2.3

A thing added to food or drink to change how it looks

basic color
  • Specialized
7.2

A dye with a positive charge that sticks to acid parts and stains cells and fabrics

bhagwa color
  • Indian
9.9

A deep orange color used in South Asia to show bravery and sacrifice

bhagwa color
  • Indian
9.9

An orange color used by some Hindu political groups on flags and posters to show support

A color like blue or green that helps you feel calm

A color with hue such as red, not grey or black

color constancy
  • Specialized
7.0

The color of an object stays the same under different lights

color force
  • Specialized
8.8

A force that holds protons and neutrons together inside atomic nuclei

A soldier who carries a unit's flag during ceremonies

3.2

A system for sending and showing TV pictures in color

4.1

A large glass part inside old televisions that shows pictures in color

color bar
  • Offensive
7.9

A system that keeps people of different races apart and often denies rights to Black people

color tube
  • Archaic
7.2

Part of a television that shows pictures in color

color TV tube
  • Archaic
3.5

A glass bulb inside older televisions that makes the screen show color pictures

5.0

A problem where a person cannot tell some colors apart, often red and green

color wash
  • Specialized
5.4

A thin see-through layer of water-based paint that gives a surface a soft blended color

color wash
  • Specialized
5.5

A uniform tint added across an image to change its mood

dithered color
  • Specialized
8.2

A pattern of tiny colored dots that makes a new color appear on a screen

A color with no hue, like white, grey, or black

A bright, imaginative show of many strong colors

An early television that shows red, green and blue in a quick order to make color images

A TV method that sends each picture in red, then green, then blue

An early color television that shows pictures by quickly changing red, green, and blue images

An old way of showing color television by showing red, green, and blue pictures quickly

3.5

Having parts of different bright colors

nonsolid color
  • Specialized
7.5

A pattern of small dots printed so it looks like one color

3.5

One of three main colors of light, like red, green or blue

One of three colors, magenta, cyan and yellow, used in printing to make many colors by removing light

Difficulty telling red and green colors apart

A small circular area of color on the skin around a bite or wound

off-color humor
  • Offensive
9.0

Jokes that are rude or offensive

3.6

Paint made with water and glue that makes bright colors for posters

snuff-color
  • Archaic
9.9

A dark yellow-brown color like powdered tobacco

spectral color
  • Specialized
7.3

A color seen in a rainbow that comes from one light wave, not a mix of colors

A bright mix of clashing pastel and neon colors

vat color
  • Specialized
9.1

A dye for cotton that is dissolved to put on cloth and then made to stay

6.0

A condition that makes it hard to tell yellow and blue apart

How Biased

to falsify
  • Formal
44 7.3
to distort
97 4.6
to color
  • US
80 6.5
to bias
6 4.9
to slant
14 6.3

Surface Forms

color infinitive
colour infinitive
colored past
coloured past
colored past participle
coloured past participle
coloring present participle
colouring present participle
colors third person singular
colours third person singular

Etymology

Color meaning to influence or distort comes from using 'color' as a 'shade' or slant that changes how we see a fact or story. So to color the truth is to change its appearance and make it seem different.