purplish

adjective

pur·​plish ˈpər-p(ə-)lish How to pronounce purplish (audio)
: somewhat purple

Examples of purplish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Blooms in late winter and spring; flowers are 24 inches wide, in colors including white, pink, purplish, cream, and greenish, often spotted with deep purple. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024 Each bean is about one-fifth of an inch long and grows from the plant in thin, hairy pods that develop from yellow (or sometimes purplish) flowers resembling orchids. Wei Tchou, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Until about the mid-second century CE, Roman glass was manufactured with either Syro-Levantine raw glass made with relatively pure sand—resulting in a black/purplish color—or a high-magnesium glass made with impure iron-rich sand and the addition of vegetable ash to confer a dark green color. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2023 The most widely available variety of this foliage plant has leaves with olive and silver striping on top and purplish maroon underneath. Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023 When shopping for broccoli, pick bunches that have rich color as that indicates maximum nutrient value; the more vivid green, purplish, or blue-green florets contain more beta-carotene and vitamin C than yellow or fading ones. Treehugger Editors, Treehugger, 7 Sep. 2023 In the process, Reid pushed Nevada to the fore of the presidential nominating process and helped turn the state from reliably red to a purplish shade of blue. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 In the purplish state of New Hampshire, where Rochester sits between the liberal southern seacoast and the more conservative Lakes Region at its center, the tie only confirmed what people already knew: Their city of 30,000, like their country, is politically split. Jenna Russell, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2022 Another difference between the two species is the color of the flower's anthers, which are yellow in Thanksgiving cacti and purplish brown in Christmas cacti. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of purplish was in 1562

Dictionary Entries Near purplish

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

purplish

adjective
pur·​plish ˈpər-p(ə-)lish How to pronounce purplish (audio)
: somewhat purple
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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