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purple

purple

83 1.0
A color between red and blue
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜrpl/
translation icon : púrpura
  • It takes 17 layers of paint to achieve that precise color of purple.
  • dark purple
  • the color purple
  • royal purple

So I do orange or you could do purple if you're more oily.

Examples

  • Then again, it lacks the tell-tale purple hue of the fake stuff.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Purple is always my go-to.

  • So it looks pretty on this purple wall, I think.

  • It's kind of hard to see the purple, but it's on there.

  • There is no way this light purple is a good idea.

  • You love the purple photo of me, George.

  • Purple was important to me, Dad.

  • Purple was always your favorite color.

  • Purple is for power, ambition and spiritual awakening.

  • The royal family chose a vibrant purple for their new banners, which symbolized their wealth.

Synonyms

royal purple
vspurple
1 4.2

A deep purple color with a red tone used to show wealth or power

is a middle hue between warm and cool tones linked to luxury
red-purple
vspurple
1 2.8

A purple color with a clear red tint

is a middle hue balanced between warm and cool tones less warm
Tyrian purple
vspurple
9.9

A deep purple dye from sea snails used for royal clothes

is a common hue associated with luxury but not historically rare
purpleheart
vspurple
6.9

A deep purple color like the wood of a tropical tree

is a general middle hue not specifically woodlike or very deep
bishop's purple
vspurple
9.9

A medium reddish purple that is a little bluer and lighter than deep purple

is a middle hue that is not usually as light or cool
violet-purple
vspurple
3.2

A color between violet and purple

is a middle hue that spans warm to cool without extra lightness
pink-purple
vspurple
2.2

A purple color with a little pink

is a middle hue that is deeper and less soft than that
reddish purple
vspurple
2.0

A purple color that has some red in it

is a central hue that does not always lean toward warmth
crimson-purple
vspurple
5.8

A deep purple color mixed with red

is a middle hue that is not as dark or brownish
maroon-purple
vspurple
4.1

A purple color with a red-brown shade

is a mid range hue that stays less brown and more balanced

Antonyms

12 2.9

Having very little or no color

Idioms

To reach a very high position, often as a king or queen

9.9

Gain a very high position quickly when people do not expect it

Compounds

Purple Heart
  • Formal
28 4.1

A military medal given to people in the United States military who are wounded or killed in action

1 3.3

A blue color with a little purple in it

A dark purple color with a little brown in it

A tall marsh plant with long purple flower spikes that crowd out native plants

purple martin
  • Specialized
1 7.6

A large North American swallow with shiny blue-black males and duller females

1 3.3

Very dark black with a slight purple tint

1 2.2

A red color mixed with purple

1 2.8

A purple color with a clear red tint

1 4.2

A deep purple color with a red tone used to show wealth or power

A United States military medal that is given to service members wounded or killed in combat

Purple with a touch of blue

A purple color with a little blue mixed in

A medium reddish purple that is a little bluer and lighter than deep purple

A dark purple color mixed with brown

A deep purple color mixed with red

A wild orchid with pink or purple flowers in a loose cluster that blooms in spring

A soft purple colour that is not bright

9.9

A North American butterfly with dark blue-black wings and a wide white band

A wildflower that has purple flowers like a daisy in late summer and fall

A light purple colour with a soft pink or blue tone

A purple color with a red-brown shade

purple beech
  • Specialized
7.7

A type of tree with shiny purple or copper-coloured leaves often grown in gardens

purple boneset
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American flowering herb with leaves in rings and small purple spotted flowers

A California plant with white and pale purple flowers that grow in rings around the stem like a small tower

purple clematis
  • Specialized
7.5

A climbing plant with purple flowers that grows on fences or walls

purple clover
  • Specialized
4.2

A plant with purple to pink flowers that farmers grow for animal food and to make soil better

purple cress
  • Specialized
9.6

A small plant that lives for several years with purple flowers that bloom in spring

A tall plant with purple leaves and red flower spikes whose seeds people eat

9.7

A small evergreen shrub with purple flowers that grows in wet places in the southeastern United States

A small fruit tree with purple twigs, white flowers, and purple fruit grown mainly for its looks

A plant that grows back every year with divided leaves and purple drooping flowers in northern regions

purple bacteria
  • Specialized
6.1

Small living things that use light to make energy, look pink or purple, and live where there is little oxygen

A large European butterfly with shiny purple wings

purple gallinule
  • Specialized
9.9

A bright purple-blue marsh bird with a red bill that lives in marshes

A bird in the eastern United States that has shiny purple-black feathers

A purple Brazilian fruit eaten fresh or used in drinks and desserts

A small plant that makes purple fruits you can eat, like tiny tomatoes

purple finch
  • Specialized
6.0

A small North American bird with males that have red heads and females with brown streaks

9.9

An orchid from North America with rosy purple flowers and finely toothed leaves

9.9

A small wild plant with rosy-purple flowers that grows in wet meadows in eastern North America

A plant that lives for many years with clusters of purple flowers

A silly phrase people use to say something is confusing or absurd

A tall garden plant with purple or pink flower spikes

A wild plant with silvery leaves, violet, blue or white flowers and round berries used to make milk into cheese

A round vegetable with purple skin and a mild, slightly sweet taste often eaten raw in salads or on burgers

9.9

A North American orchid with a long stem of purple and white flowers that form a hood

9.9

A strong sleeping medicine that works for a long time

A low evergreen plant with small purple flowers

9.9

A plant that grows in small clumps with purple, pink, or white flowers in the dry southwest United States

purple locoweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with purple, pink, or white flowers that can poison farm animals

9.9

A small willow with purple twigs used for making baskets

purple passage
  • Literature
9.3

A part of writing that uses too many fancy words

purple pea
  • Australian
8.7

An Australian shrub that keeps its leaves all year and has shiny green leaves and bright purple flowers

A small tropical bush or tree that produces deep red oval fruit you can eat

A long-lived plant with strong-smelling pink or purple flowers and a root used in traditional medicine to help childbirth

A tropical houseplant with soft leaves covered in short purple hairs

Hairy plant that lives many years with round lobed leaves and large purple or red flowers

A small fern with dark shiny stems that grows on rocks

6.8

A small plant with silver leaves and groups of purple flowers

A plant that lives for more than one year with small groups of yellow, red or purple flowers

A small round plant with bright purple flowers that grows on rocky slopes

A plant that lives for many years and has pink-purple flowers attracting butterflies

A climbing plant with waxy purple-blue flowers that grows on fences

Having a purple mark near the center that looks like an eye

A plant that has purple flowers

A small bush with purple flowers and red fruit you can eat

7.7

A tree with reddish-purple twigs used for making baskets and leather

A brown color that looks slightly purple

A North American wildflower with clusters of purple, fringed flowers

A North American orchid with clusters of purple fringed flowers that grows in wet meadows and marshes

Having purple spots on its surface

9.9

A mushroom with a slimy purple cap and gills that turn dark purple when bruised

purple-stemmed aster
  • Specialized
9.0

A wildflower with purple stems and clusters of violet or blue flowers

How Dark

aubergine
  • UK
3 5.1
purple
83 1.0
lilac
4 2.8
lavender
2.4

Surface Forms

purple singular
purples plural

Etymology

Purple as a color name comes from the rare dye purpura, which was very expensive, so purple became linked with 'royal' clothes and luxury.