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ebony

ebony

3 3.9
A very dark black color like deep night
  • noun
  • /ˈɛbəni/
: azabache
  • His eyes are like the blue sky, his hair the color of ebony.

Examples

  • The artist painted the wall a deep shade of ebony, creating a striking contrast with the bright furniture.

  • Her hair was down, brushed to a rich ebony shine, and she wore a silk dressing gown of palest green.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Now, though, it is the ebony skin, green and gold and black, that she knows she loves.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Black leotard, ebony hair pulled tight back to her head.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • One of the purest black like ebony, the other... white as bone.

  • My eyes are softened by the midnight ebony.

  • The good queen longed for a child to love, whose skin would be as white as snow, her lips as red as rubies... and her hair as black as ebony.

  • Betty, bless her, had a wonderful way with long hair, so that Allegra's ebony tresses had been tamed without losing their vibrant life.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • In the scant light of a partial moon, the sweated chestnut gelding looked black as ebony and as glossy.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Her dress was a stunning ebony black that shimmered under the lights at the gala.

Synonyms

black
vsebony
∞ 1.0

Very dark in color like coal or the night

is a specific very dark shade compared to the broader general category
pitch black
vsebony
9 3.2

Completely dark with no light at all

portrays a visible deep color like dark wood rather than no light
jet-black
vsebony
8 3.9

Very black like coal or a dark night

uses a plain natural wood comparison for the same deep black
coal black
vsebony
3 2.8

Very dark like the color of coal

compares the color to dark wood rather than to burnt residue
inky-black
vsebony
2 3.3

Very dark like black ink

uses a wood-based color image rather than a liquid comparison
ink-black
vsebony
1 3.2

Very dark black like raven feathers in the sun

relies on a wood simile for color rather than a writing liquid
ebon
vsebony
  • Literature
1 9.9

Very deep black in color

is the plain descriptive term used for that same very dark color
sable
vsebony
  • Archaic
1 7.9

A very dark black color often used in art and flags

is the everyday color name evoking dark wood rather than heraldry
ivory black
vsebony
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A deep black paint used by artists, originally made from burnt ivory

refers to a natural wood-like color rather than an artist pigment
sooty-black
vsebony
1 4.7

Very deep black like soot

uses a wood-based color comparison instead of burned residue
soot black
vsebony
1 4.9

A very dark color like the black dust from a fire

uses a solid wood color image rather than a powdery residue comparison
soot-black
vsebony
1 5.5

Very black in color like dust left by a fire

compares the color to solid dark wood rather than to residue
bone black
vsebony
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A black pigment made by burning animal bones for paint and ink

is a simple color description used for appearance not for pigments
slate-black
vsebony
1 5.6

Very dark black with a slight bluish grey tint

is a purer warm dark tone like wood rather than grey-tinged

Antonyms

301 1.0

Has very light color and often looks sick or afraid

213 1.0

Pale in colour or clear in sound

Compounds

1 5.1

A very hard, almost black wood that people use for fine furniture and musical instruments

ebony tree
  • Indian
1 7.4

A tropical tree with very hard dark wood used for furniture and carving

1 6.7

A small fern with shiny black stems and delicate green leaves that grows on rocky, shaded ground

1 8.4

A family of tropical trees like persimmon and ebony that give fruit and hard wood

A small fern that grows in shaded tropical forests in the Americas

9.6

A small Asian tree with hard dark wood and pink or white orchid-like flowers

How Dark

pitch-black
23 3.4
black
∞ 1.0
ebony
3 3.9
charcoal
7 1.7
gray
  • US
630 1.0

Surface Forms

ebony singular
ebonies plural

Etymology

Ebony comes from the old Greek word ebenos for a hard, dark wood whose deep black color was famous; people used that wood's color as a clear image. So, ebony as a noun means the very dark black color like that wood.