purple

1 of 3

adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler ˈpər-p(ə-)lər  ; purplest ˈpər-p(ə-)ləst 

1

: having a color between red and blue : of the color purple

a purple flower

purple fabric

… can only have left his antagonists purple with frustration.

—Joseph Epstein

2

a

: ornately and showily phrased or expressed

… the writing often descends into the purple prose of a besotted fan.

—Stephen Holden

… Rice is a first-rate writer. There are no purple patches in this narrative, and no attempts to sermonize.

—Lawrence S. Cunningham

b

: marked by profanity

His language in public is so purple they had to stop broadcasting the meetings of the city council.

—Newsweek

3

US politics : having roughly equal levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates or policies

… a blue candidate trying to swipe a red seat in a purple state.

—Don Rollins

… as the race pulled tighter than Paris Hilton's jeans, Kerry volunteers flooded the purple states to energize their voters—tens of thousands of them newly registered.

—Michelle Cottle

compare blue sense 9, red sense 5

4

dated : regal, imperial

purple

2 of 3

noun

1

a(1)

: cloth dyed purple

(2)

: a garment of such color

especially : a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority

b(1)

: tyrian purple

(2)

: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue

c(1)

: a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura) yielding a purple dye and especially the Tyrian purple of ancient times

(2)

: a pigment or dye that colors purple

2

a

: imperial or regal rank or power

b

: high rank or station

purple

3 of 3

verb

purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to make purple

intransitive verb

: to become purple

Synonyms

Adjective

• aureate
• florid
• flowery
• grandiloquent
• high-flown
• high-sounding
• highfalutin
• hifalutin
• magnific
• ornate
• rhetorical
• rhetoric

Examples of purple in a Sentence

Adjective

The book contains a few purple passages.

Her writing was full of purple prose.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Family Switch actress, 52, has donned multiple styles in the past few years, from the Brooks Glycerin 19 sneakers to yet another purple pair, the Adrenaline GTS 22. —Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024

In 2022, he was pulled over in his purple Dodge Durango by the Florida Highway Patrol. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English purpel, alteration of purper, from Old English purpuran of purple, genitive of purpure purple color, from Latin purpura, from Greek porphyra

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing purple

• purple coneflower
• purple finch
• purple loosestrife
• purple martin
• purple passage
• purple scale
• royal purple
• Tyrian purple
• visual purple

Kids Definition

purple

1 of 3 adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler -p(ə-)lər  ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst 

: of the color purple

purple

2 of 3 noun

: a color midway between red and blue

purple

3 of 3 verb

purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ 

: to turn purple

Medical Definition

purple

1 of 2 adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler -p(ə-)lər  ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst 

: of the color purple

purple

2 of 2 noun

1

: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue

2

: a pigment or dye that colors purple see visual purple