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royal purple

royal purple

1 4.2
A deep purple color with a red tone used to show wealth or power
  • noun
  • /ˈrɔɪəl ˈpɜrpl/
translation icon : púrpura real
  • The wall was painted a beautiful shade of royal purple, evoking a sense of elegance.

He loses all of his investment in royal purple, you know, the, the dye.

Examples

  • It was a rare night—a heavy brass moon with the profile of Justinian stamped clear upon it, the sky royal purple above the refinery lights.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • This is a really deep purple, royal purple we have here.

  • And he got this purple that was the same colour as royal purple, and he kind of went cool.

  • I layer magenta, opal, and royal purple.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Along with the slogan, the firm adopted a large-type silver and royal purple S&W logo.

    Academic text (2001)
  • I tend to think saturated, jewel tones (royal purple, forest green, dark teal, deep orange) look great on her.

    Blog text (3)
  • Elizabeth enters, wearing a floor-length royal purple caftan with three-quarter-length dolman sleeves and a boat neck.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Royal purple was reserved for Moscow's own Baumanskaya mafia, from the neighborhood between Lefortovo Prison and the Church of the Epiphany.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She wore a stunning dress in royal purple to the gala, which made her stand out among the guests.

  • The fabric of the curtains was a rich royal purple, adding a regal touch to the room.

Synonyms

purple
vsroyal purple
83 1.0

A color between red and blue

denotes a deeper red-tinged tone associated with monarchy
red-purple
vsroyal purple
1 2.8

A purple color with a clear red tint

is a deeper, more saturated red-tinged shade linked to monarchy
Tyrian purple
vsroyal purple
9.9

A deep purple dye from sea snails used for royal clothes

has a deep red-tinged shade traditionally tied to monarchy
purpleheart
vsroyal purple
6.9

A deep purple color like the wood of a tropical tree

focuses more on a deep red-tinged shade tied to monarchy
crimson-purple
vsroyal purple
5.8

A deep purple color mixed with red

is instead a deep red-tinged shade historically linked to monarchy
reddish-purple
vsroyal purple
3.5

A color between red and purple, like ripe grapes

is a deeper shade with traditional monarchy association
red-violet
vsroyal purple
3.9

A color between red and purple that leans toward red

is deeper and more strongly tied to monarchy and richness
reddish-violet
vsroyal purple
3.2

A purple color with a little red in it

is deeper and more historically linked to monarchy

Antonyms

A soft purple colour that is not bright

How Purple

royal purple
1 4.2
purple
229 1.0
violet
2 1.6
lavender
2.4

Surface Forms

royal purple singular
royal purples plural

Morphology

royal + purple

The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'royal' (of a king or queen) + 'purple' (a color), so the meaning 'a purple shade associated with royalty' is directly derivable from the constituents. While it may refer to a particular deep/red-tinged shade historically linked to royalty, that nuance follows predictably from the modifier and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Royal purple may come from a very old dye made from thousands of tiny sea snails; because that purple was rare and very expensive, only kings and emperors wore it. So, royal purple (literally royal + purple) now means a deep purple that shows 'royalty' and high 'status'.