pastel

1 of 2

noun

pas·​tel pa-ˈstel 

1

: a paste made of powdered pigment ranging from pale to deep colors and used for making crayons

also : a crayon made of such paste

2

a

: a drawing in pastel

b

: the process or art of drawing with pastels

3

: a light literary sketch

4

: any of various pale or light colors

pastel

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: of or relating to a pastel

b

: made with pastels

2

: pale and light in color

3

: lacking in body or vigor

Synonyms

Adjective

• dull
• dulled
• faded
• light
• pale
• washed-out
• washy

Examples of pastel in a Sentence

Noun

She has a collection of pastels.

She prefers a pastel like light yellow.

The room is painted in a pastel shade of blue.

Adjective

a pastel blue to go with the pale pink walls

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The great debate that has already raged for centuries and surely will for centuries more: do pastel colours belong on a football shirt? —Nick Miller, New York Times, 28 June 2025

Another example is the pastel pink (e.g. the preppy attire, bow ties)—which has long been deemed as a 'feminine' color—and societally associated with romance and sweetness. —Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Adjective

Settling this debate once and for all, On released a pastel purple–powered style of its popular Cloudnova 2 sneaker that’s quickly gaining traction with sneakerheads. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2025

Think classic chrome finishes in shimmering silvers, but also everything from rainbow chrome brights to soft pastel variations. —Georgia Day, Vogue, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Italian pastello, from Late Latin pastellus woad, from diminutive of pasta

First Known Use

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pastel

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

pastel

1 of 2 noun

pas·​tel pas-ˈtel 

1

a

: a paste made of ground color and used for making crayons

b

: a crayon of such paste

2

: a drawing in pastel

3

: any of various pale or light colors

pastel

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or made with pastels

2

: pale and light in color