Usage of Colored
The adjective meanings of colored relating to race were formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century. Attitudes toward them had changed, however, by the 1960s. Although colored is still occasionally used in self-reference by and between Black people, the adjective as used by others is offensive; the terms Black and African American are preferred. Colored remains in the full name of the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), a civil rights organization founded in the early 20th century.
Usage of Colored
The noun colored was formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century, although attitudes toward it had changed by the 1960s. In most nonhistorical contexts, this use of colored is now considered unacceptable.
Examples of colored in a Sentence
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Robinson, wearing a light blue collared shirt and multi-colored tie, appeared to be calm and smiling at times while talking to his attorneys before the hearing began inside the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, on Thursday.
—Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
City also looks utterly beautiful, with intricate and brightly colored backgrounds meshing with a cartoonish design in service of a visual identity that’s unlike anything else seen this year.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
But the colored leaves aren't actually petals of a flower but leaf bracts.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025
Other variations include Shetland tweed, made from the lighter-weight wool of the Shetland sheep, and Donegal tweed, which can be identified by its multi-colored flecks and is original to Ireland’s Donegal County.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2025
For example, in Ethiopia there is the distinct religious art style where figures are stylized with large eyes, bold distinct lines, and bright colored scenes.
—Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025
The interaction took place without scents, colored cues, or training signals of any kind, so the observer had nothing to imitate or learn directly.
—New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2025
Kelsey then ran down to the basement, and allegedly tried to flush hundreds of grams of multi-colored pills and other material down the toilet.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
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