Advertisement

View synonyms for yellow

yellow

[ yel-oh ]

noun

  1. a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nanometers.
  2. the yolk of an egg.
  3. a yellow pigment or dye.
  4. Informal. yellow light.


adjective

yellower, yellowest.
  1. of the color yellow.
  2. Disparaging and Offensive.
    1. designating or pertaining to an Asian person or Asian peoples.
    2. designating or pertaining to a person of mixed racial origin, especially of black and white heritage.
  3. having a sallow or yellowish complexion.
  4. Informal. cowardly.

    Synonyms: fearful, timorous, craven

    1. (of a newspaper, book, etc.) featuring articles, pictures, or other content that is sensational, especially morbidly or offensively so:

      yellow rags;

      yellow biographies.

    2. dishonest in editorial comment and the presentation of news, especially in sacrificing truth for sensationalism, as in yellow journalism yellow press
  5. jealous; envious.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to make or become yellow:

    Yellow the sheets with dye.

    The white stationery had yellowed with age.

yellow

/ ˈjɛləʊ /

noun

  1. any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same hue. They lie in the approximate wavelength range 585–575 nanometres. Yellow is the complementary colour of blue and with cyan and magenta forms a set of primary colours xanthous
  2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
  3. yellow cloth or clothing

    dressed in yellow

  4. the yolk of an egg
  5. a yellow ball in snooker, etc
  6. any of a group of pieridine butterflies the males of which have yellow or yellowish wings, esp the clouded yellows ( Colias spp.) and the brimstone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of the colour yellow
  2. yellowish in colour or having parts or marks that are yellowish

    yellow jasmine

  3. having a yellowish skin; Mongoloid
  4. informal.
    cowardly or afraid
  5. offensively sensational, as a cheap newspaper (esp in the phrase yellow press )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to make or become yellow
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Sensitive Note

It is perceived as insulting to use yellow to describe a person of Asian or mixed racial origin, as in the terms yellow peril and high yellow.
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈyellowly, adverb
  • ˈyellowness, noun
  • ˈyellowish, adjective
  • ˈyellowy, adjective
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • yellow·ly adverb
  • yellow·ness noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellow1

First recorded before 900; 1895–1900 yellow fordef 9; Middle English yelou (adjective and noun), Old English geolo, geolu (adjective); cognate with Dutch geel, German gelb, Old Norse gulr; akin to Latin helvus “pale yellow,” Persian zar “gold” ( jargon 2( def ) ), Sanskrit hári “brown, green, yellow”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellow1

Old English geolu; related to Old Saxon, Old High German gelo, Old Norse gulr, Latin helvus
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The supplier voluntarily recalled the onion products at fault, and the FDA cautioned the public about the contaminated yellow onions, which were being served on McDonald’s hamburgers.

“For companies currently combining petroleum-based yellow chemical and red dyes together, try carrot juice.”

From Salon

The mudslide, at the Hartlepool Borough Council-owned site, happened while a Met Office yellow weather warning for heavy rain was in place.

From BBC

City Hall will also be lit up in the papal colours of yellow and white on Saturday to coincide with the day of his funeral.

From BBC

After that, the Department of Health and Human Services said, it will work with industry to eliminate six petroleum-based food dyes: blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


yellyellow alert