chromatic

²chromatic

adj

Definition of CHROMATIC

1

a : of or relating to color or color phenomena or sensations b : highly colored

2

: of or relating to chroma

3

a : of, relating to, or giving all the tones of the chromatic scale b : characterized by frequent use of accidentals

— chro·mat·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— chro·mat·i·cism \-ˈma-tə-ˌsi-zəm\ noun

Examples of CHROMATIC

1. <the strikingly chromatic paintings of Matisse and the other Fauvists>

Origin of CHROMATIC

Greek chrōmatikos, from chrōmat-, chrōma skin, color, modified tone; akin to Greek chrōs color

First Known Use: 1630

Related to CHROMATIC

Synonyms: colorful, colored, kaleidoscopic, motley, multicolored, multihued, polychromatic, polychrome, prismatic, rainbow, varicolored, varied, variegated, various

Antonyms: colorless; monochromatic, monochromic, monotone, self-colored, solid

Related Words: iridescent, opalescent; brave, bright, brilliant, gay, vibrant; flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, showy, splashy; checkered, dotted, patterned, plaid, plaided, striped; dappled (also dapple), marbled, mottled, parti-color (or parti-colored), piebald, pied, pinto; flecked, specked, speckled, spotted; banded, barred, brindled (or brindle), streaked, striated; bichrome, bicolored (or bicolor), dichromatic, trichromatic, tricolor (or tricolored), two-tone, two-toned

Near Antonyms: achromatic; bleached, decolorized, faded, washed-out; dull, faint, gray (also grey), neutral, pale, pallid, unbrilliant

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Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

Rhymes with CHROMATIC

aquatic, ecstatic, erratic, fanatic, hepatic, lymphatic, pragmatic, quadratic, rheumatic, schematic, Socratic, stigmatic