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Glite Dictionary
coal black

coal black

1 2.8
Very dark like the color of coal
  • noun
  • /koʊl blæk/
translation icon : negro carbón
  • His direct, coal-black eyes glimmered.
  • coal black eyes
  • coal black hair

Examples

  • Her hair was coal black, and there was a trace of it above her full lips.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "She stepped close, her coal black eyes strangely empty.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • His wide eyes are coal black.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "She turned to him and stood up, her coal black hair only a breath away from his chest."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • His coal black eyes are penetrating.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • At the far end of the ICU, a man in a coal-black suit stands over a boy in a hospital bed.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The color of the snow begins to change, darkening from pure white to ash gray, eventually to coal black.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • She turned and looked up into Calvin Washington's coal black eyes.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The horse was immense, coal black, and sleek as an eel.

  • Out came a kitten, coal black and no more than a couple of months old.

Synonyms

black
vscoal black
∞ 1.0

Very dark in color like coal or the night

is a specific deep shade used as an example of intense darkness
pitch black
vscoal black
12 3.2

Completely dark with no light at all

focuses on deep pure black tone rather than absolute lightlessness
pitch-black
vscoal black
8 3.4

Completely dark with no light

is equally very dark but highlights pure color rather than total light absence
ebony
vscoal black
4 3.9

A very dark black color like deep night

is a pure deep black rather than evoking a specific material
blue-black
vscoal black
4 3.6

Very dark color that is black with a blue shine

is a neutral pure black that lacks any blue tinge
jet-black
vscoal black
3 3.9

Very black like coal or a dark night

is equally deep but stresses plain pure black without the mineral image
sable
vscoal black
  • Archaic
2 7.9

A very dark black color often used in art and flags

is plain and descriptive rather than literary or heraldic in tone
jet black
vscoal black
1 2.8

A very dark colour like shiny coal

is similarly deep but focuses on simple pure black color
coal-black
vscoal black
1 4.1

A very deep black color like coal

is the same deep pure black idea but without the hyphen
inky-black
vscoal black
1 3.3

Very dark like black ink

is a pure deep black not specifically linked to writing fluid imagery
ink-black
vscoal black
1 3.2

Very dark black like raven feathers in the sun

is equally dark but presented as a plain natural black shade
bluish black
vscoal black
1 3.7

A very dark color like black with a slight hint of blue

is a pure black without any blue hint
soot black
vscoal black
4.9

A very dark color like the black dust from a fire

is pure deep black without suggesting residue or soot imagery
soot-black
vscoal black
5.5

Very black in color like dust left by a fire

is a cleaner deep black without the residue association
sooty-black
vscoal black
4.7

Very deep black like soot

is a pure intense black not tied to soot imagery
pitchy
vscoal black
7.9

Completely black like coal

is a pure deep black without suggesting sticky or tarry texture
slate-black
vscoal black
5.6

Very dark black with a slight bluish grey tint

is purer and lacks any grey or blue grey tint

How Black

pitch black
12 3.2
jet black
1 2.8
coal black
1 2.8
black
159 1.0
dark
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

coal black singular
coal blacks plural

Morphology

coal + black

The meaning 'very dark, pure black like coal' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'coal' (a very dark carbonous rock) with 'black' (the deepest color). This compounding/comparative pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase coal black compares something's color to coal, the hard black rock, so calling something coal black means it is 'very dark'.