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monochrome

monochrome

4 6.3
A picture made using only one color or its different shades
  • noun
  • /ˈmɒnəˌkroʊm/
translation icon : monocromo
  • And in response, Arnold created this wonderful ink monochrome landscape.
  • monochrome print
  • monochrome color

Examples

  • In his latest series, the photographer explored the concept of monochrome by using different shades of gray.

  • Adjust the black and white tones around the image until it looks great in monochrome.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Nevertheless, the bald monochrome suggests more than the limits of taste.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Instead, we have monochrome panels framing scenes from Greek myth.

  • There are, to date, no salons that will accept the commercially processed monochrome prints.

    Academic text (2000)
  • After 22 years as Director of Awards of Merit-Monochrome, Dorothea Otto, FPSA is retiring.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The museum featured an exhibition focused entirely on monochrome paintings that displayed variations of blue.

  • The monochrome artwork in the gallery captivated visitors with its simplicity and depth of color.

Synonyms

black and white
vsmonochrome
61 3.1

A photo, film, or TV picture in shades of black, white and gray

uses only one color or its different shades rather than only gray tones

Antonyms

polychrome
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A work of art decorated with many colors

How Colorful

duotone
7.2
monochrome
4 6.3
grayscale
  • Specialized
1 4.2

Surface Forms

monochrome singular
monochromes plural

Morphology

monochrome = chrome (semi-transparent) = mono + chrome

The prefix 'mono-' clearly means 'one', but the second element is a learned classical color-forming element, so the full meaning is only partly obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Monochrome comes from Greek parts mono- 'one' (as in monologue) and -chroma 'color'. So, a monochrome is a picture or image made with only one color or its shades.