mauve

1 of 2

noun

ˈmȯv How to pronounce mauve (audio)
ˈmōv
1
a
: a moderate purple, violet, or lilac color
b
: a strong purple
2
: a dyestuff (see dye entry 1 sense 2) that produces a mauve color

mauve

2 of 2

adjective

: of the color mauve : of a moderate purple, violet, or lilac color
White china vases of mauve hyacinths scented the table …Hamish Bowles

Examples of mauve in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Each gallery is awash in colors that seem inspired by the artist Aaron Douglas’s palette, particularly in his allegorical paintings about Black American life: mauve, light green, grays. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 As for makeup, Turner opted for a mauve lip, subtle smokey eye, and glowy skin, bringing the entire look together with a short black manicure. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Feb. 2024 Kardashian's glam also included a lined mauve lip, strong brows and wispy eyelashes, all by pro Ashley K Holm. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 The waiting room was small, with a vaulted ceiling, a bank of windows, and walls painted a soothing mauve. Longreads, 4 Jan. 2024 Grab it in nine colors ranging from soft peony pink to deep mauve. Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2023 Plus, the mauve and pink color combination is on theme for Valentine’s Day and beyond. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 5 Feb. 2024 While red lips will never go out of style, the shades du jour are meant to be much more flattering on your own natural lip color tone, such as rose pinks, dusty mauves (like the famed Pillow Talk), and rich berries. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2024 Swift kept her glam soft, with a natural mauve lip and her long hair styled in loose barrel curls. Condé Nast, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2024
Adjective
In fact, all of her styling, from the necklace to the mauve lip color, the bold blue eye shadow, and the subtle French manicure, could almost be categorized under the mob-wife aesthetic. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 25 Jan. 2024 As for her makeup, the Batman Begins alum wore bold eyeliner and a mauve lip color to pull everything together. Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 19 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mauve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, literally, mallow, from Old French, from Latin malva

First Known Use

Noun

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mauve was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near mauve

Cite this Entry

“Mauve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mauve. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mauve

noun
: a medium purple, violet, or lilac

More from Merriam-Webster on mauve

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