watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lər 

ˈwä-

1

: a paint of which the liquid is a water dispersion of the binding material (such as glue, casein, or gum)

2

: the art or method of painting with watercolors

3

: a picture or design executed in watercolors

watercolor adjective

watercolorist

ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lə-rist 

ˈwä-

noun

Examples of watercolor in a Sentence

a landscape done in watercolor

He only works in watercolors.

We bought a watercolor of the shore.

Recent Examples on the Web

Paul would need to be in his stone turret office on the idyllic watercolor of a campus five days a week. —Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

The movie, which reunites the gang in a battle against an iPad-like antagonist named Lilypad, has a strong premise, and its dynamic, watercolor-style rendering of playtime is a big step forward animation-wise. —Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026

Antique maps, a stack of old books, and watercolors in worn frames are all options that feel genuine to the style. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 June 2026

Baumann started creating and selling watercolor paintings and polymer clay jewelry on the side for extra income in 2018 and says her students’ parents encouraged her to keep at it. —Jennifer Liu valentina Duarte, CNBC, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for watercolor

• multicolor
• technicolor
• unicolor
• versicolor
• bicolor
• concolor
• discolor
• tricolor
• color
• colour
• culler
• duller

Kids Definition

watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯt-ər-ˌkəl-ər 

ˈwät-

1

: a paint whose liquid part is water

2

: a picture painted with watercolor

3

: the art of painting with watercolor

watercolorist

-ˌkəl-ə-rəst 

noun