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colorful

colorful

110 2.1
Full of interesting stories and lively events
  • adjective
  • /ˈkʌlərfəl/
  • US
translation icon : colorido
  • A haven for writers as well as artists, it is a colorful place where picture possibilities abound.
  • a colorful character
  • a colorful personality
  • a colorful description

So yeah, it's bright, it's colorful, it's pop, it's love.

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Examples

  • You have quite a colorful past, Kelly.

  • What a colorful life you lead.

  • But it's a very bright, colorful spring collection.

  • There were, of course, many interesting and colorful individuals associated with the mountain.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Oh, this is very colorful, very festive, very fun.

  • Their discovery and subsequent study have produced colorful characters, weird events, and plenty of conflicts.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Beautiful zinnias, so colorful and just happy.

  • Roebling, founder of a dynasty, was a colorful example of the giants of engineering of his era.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Consuelo was sitting on the couch, staring at the colorful closing credits on the TV screen.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The artist created a colorful mural that brightened up the entire street.

Synonyms

bright
vscolorful
235 1.0

Having a strong, vivid color that is easy to notice

is about general variety and vivid style rather than only color intensity
vibrant
vscolorful
29 3.6

Full of bright, strong colors that attract attention

is broader, covering varied interest and striking style rather than only energy
vivid
vscolorful
23 3.0

Very bright and clear in color and easy to notice

is broader, referring to varied interest and overall striking style not just color depth
brightly-colored
vscolorful
15 1.2

A thing that has strong, vivid colors

is broader, meaning overall variety and striking style beyond mere color brightness
brilliant
vscolorful
14 3.0

Very bright and strong in color

focuses on overall variety and vivid character rather than only color strength
multicolored
vscolorful
  • US
8 2.9

Having many different bright colors

emphasizes overall variety and striking character beyond literal color patches
multi-colored
vscolorful
  • US
5 2.6

Having parts of different bright colors

means broader variety and striking appearance beyond simple color patches
multicolor
vscolorful
  • US
1 3.2

Having parts with different bright colors, like a rug or scarf

refers to wider variety and striking style rather than only colored sections
multihued
vscolorful
1 5.9

Having many different colors

emphasizes general variety and striking style rather than focusing only on colors
polychromatic
vscolorful
  • Specialized
1 7.5

Having many different colors like a rainbow

focuses on literal color makeup rather than general variety or style
kaleidoscopical
vscolorful
9.8

Full of bright colors and patterns that change quickly

describes general variety and striking appearance rather than constant change
multi-color
vscolorful
  • US
3.5

Having parts of different bright colors

adds general interest and vivid style beyond merely having colored sections
polychrome
vscolorful
7.5

Having many bright colors

is a technical name for many colors rather than broad variety or interest
polychromic
vscolorful
  • Specialized
8.2

Showing many colors like a bright painting or butterfly

is narrower, stressing counted colors rather than wide variety or striking style

Antonyms

14 5.3

Something that is boring because it has no variety

7 3.5

Not interesting or exciting

4 3.9

Not interesting or exciting

Compounds

A person who is interesting and unusual in a lively way

1 3.6

A lively story with bright, unusual details that make it interesting

1 3.2

A large painted picture on a wall with many bright colors

A small bright ball that you hang on a Christmas tree

8.6

A small flashing picture with bright colors used to decorate web pages or profiles

A bright pattern of many different parts like tiles or cultures

How Interesting

striking
56 3.8
colorful
  • US
110 2.1
interesting
1.0
dull
182 1.3
ordinary
683 1.0

Surface Forms

colorful positive
colourful positive

Morphology

colorful = color (semi-transparent) = color + ful

Formed from 'color' + '-ful' but the sense 'full of variety or interest; vivid' is a metaphorical extension of the literal 'full of color'.

Etymology

Colorful comes from the word color 'hue' and the ending -ful 'full of'. So when we call a story or a life colorful we mean it is 'full of life' or 'interesting and vivid'.