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colored

colored

8 9.9
An offensive old name for Black people in the United States
  • noun
  • /ˈkoʊlərd/
  • Slur
translation icon : [término ofensivo para una persona negra]
  • I say coloreds, but I understand from my daughter we are now African Americans.
  • coloreds and Indians
  • Medical School (Colored)
  • Colored and whites

Examples

  • Thus, while the search for a new race designation ensued, Colored continued as the popular term of choice, and African and Negro were eschewed.

    Academic text (1994)
  • COLORED OFFICER takes his hand, and he raises himself up with an effort and speaks.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • MAN: Some of us was in the Second Kansas Colored.

  • I like the coloreds used to live here.

  • I guess there's a lot more to you coloreds than I thought.

  • I didn't invite the coloreds onto the block!

  • All the complainants have been coloreds.

  • I got whites and coloreds saw 'em, but... last time I checked, there was nothing illegal with registering to vote.

  • The entire population will be entered on a central register with separate classification for whites, natives, and coloreds.

  • Just because bathrooms don't say colored and White doesn't mean these discriminatory behaviors have stopped.

Synonyms

Black person
vscolored
131 1.2

A person with dark skin whose family comes from Africa

refers to that same group but is archaic and offensive in the United States

Antonyms

1.0

People with light skin

Compounds

A thing that has strong, vivid colors

10 2.4

Not dark in color, often pale like white

Having a pale yellowish-white color like fresh cream

5 5.1

A way of seeing things as better than they are and ignoring problems

A pale pink or light brown color like human skin

2 3.0

A reddish-brown or orange-brown color like old metal

A color that is yellowish brown like honey

1 9.9

An old offensive term in the United States for Black people

1 3.4

A red-brown color like copper

1 1.3

Having a dark shade, like deep blue or black

1 2.4

To have a shiny yellow color like gold

A pale pinkish orange color like a ripe peach

A pale yellow color like dry straw

A warm reddish brown like the coat of some horses

Having a deep brown color like dark chocolate

1 6.9

A dull greyish-brown color like the fur of some horses

Having the color of a ripe orange

Having light, soft colors like pale pink or blue

1 2.3

A shiny light grey color like the metal used for coins and jewelry

1 3.4

Having one color with no pattern

1 3.0

A deep red color like red wine

1 5.7

A pale yellow-brown color like light leather

A light brown with a little red like cinnamon

1 4.2

A light yellowish brown color like a young deer

A reddish-brown color like the fur of some dogs

1 4.1

A color like beige or grey that does not draw attention

1 2.6

A light pink color like that of a rose

A yellow-green color like green olives

A small bird with dull brown-gray feathers that lives in Mexico and Central America

colored audition
  • Specialized
9.9

A condition in which sounds make someone see colors

colored hearing
  • Specialized
9.9

An experience of seeing colors when you hear sounds, especially music

A hurtful phrase that says Black people are often late

A pale sandy bird that runs quickly across dry plains

Pale yellowish white like fresh cream

Having a soft dark color like the sky at dusk

5.5

A dull grey-blue color like old metal

3.4

A pale, light purple color that looks soft

Having a shiny color like silver or gold

A shiny color like metal, for example silver or gold

Having a deep dark red color like a red jewel

A shiny black bird with a pink back and belly that lives in Asia

A glossy black bird with a pink back and belly found mainly in Asia

Having a light color that is not bright

A pale pinkish orange color like a ripe peach

A warm yellowish brown color like dry grass or a lion's fur

A small North American bird with mostly grey feathers and a white belly

Having a purple color between blue and red

Surface Forms

colored singular
coloreds plural

Morphology

colored = colored (opaque) = color + ed

The noun is a converted use of the adjective 'colored', but the offensive racial meaning is historical and not compositionally predictable from 'color' + '-ed'.

Etymology

The noun colored comes from color, meaning 'skin tone' or 'hue'. In the past in the United States it was used to refer to Black people, but this meaning is now offensive and old-fashioned.