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pearly-white

pearly-white

2 4.0
A very light, shiny white color like a pearl
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɜrli waɪt/
translation icon : blanco perlado
  • He had perfectly fine lips and pearly white teeth, which I saw when he smiled.
  • pearly-white teeth
  • pearly-white smile

It's so bright with the glare off your pearly white skin.

Examples

  • Lucy had languid arms and pearly white skin.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Her pearly-white teeth sparkled as she smiled for the camera.

  • Millions of people line up outside the brilliant pearly-white gates of heaven.

    Blog text (22)
  • The oldest was Wishart, whose skin was almost translucent; it was a kind of pearly white, like the inside of certain shells.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Their eyes shone like tiny flashlight bulbs, and the teeth were pearly white, set in a dark complexion.

  • She had a mouth full of pearly white teeth and two tiny shriveled-up hands that were weighted down by four oversized gold bangles.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He proudly showed off his pearly-white smile at the graduation ceremony.

  • The walls of the gallery were painted a pearly-white, enhancing the beauty of the artwork.

Synonyms

pearly
vspearly-white
22 3.2

Having a white, shiny look with a soft glow

focuses on the white shade rather than broader shine
opalescent
vspearly-white
1 8.2

Soft, shiny colors on a surface that look like a small rainbow

means a plain white shade with soft shine instead of rainbow play
nacreous
vspearly-white
1 9.7

A shiny, pearly surface that shows soft rainbow colors

stresses simple white shade and gentle luster rather than layered iridescence
pearlescent
vspearly-white
1 7.9

A shiny surface like a pearl that shows rainbow colors when you move it

keeps the description to white shade and steady lustre
pearl-like
vspearly-white
4.0

A smooth, shiny surface that glows softly in light

emphasizes the white shade specifically rather than general lustre
pearlized
vspearly-white
  • US
6.0

Having a shiny surface that shows soft changing colors like a pearl

describes natural white shade and luster rather than surface treatment

Antonyms

1.0

With little or no light and not bright

31 1.0

Not bright or shiny with weak colour

How White

white
1.0
pearly-white
2 4.0
off-white
1 3.0

Surface Forms

pearly-white positive

Morphology

pearly-white = pearly + white (transparent) = pearly + white

The phrase is a straightforward compound of two transparent adjectives meaning 'having a white color like a pearl'.

Etymology

The word pearly-white combines pearl, the smooth, shiny bead from an oyster, and white, the colour. So pearly-white means a soft, shiny kind of white, 'like a pearl'.