white

¹white

adjective \ˈhwīt, ˈwīt\

whit·erwhit·est

Definition of WHITE

1

a : free from color

b : of the color of new snow or milk; specifically : of the color white

c : light or pallid in color <white hair> <lips white with fear>

d : lustrous pale gray : silvery; also : made of silver

2

a : being a member of a group or race characterized by light pigmentation of the skin

b : of, relating to, characteristic of, or consisting of white people or their culture

c [from the former stereotypical association of good character with northern European descent] : marked by upright fairness <that's mighty white of you>

3

: free from spot or blemish: as

a (1) : free from moral impurity : innocent (2) : marked by the wearing of white by the woman as a symbol of purity <a white wedding>

b : unmarked by writing or printing

c : not intended to cause harm <a white lie> <white magic>

d : favorable, fortunate <one of the white days of his life — Sir Walter Scott>

4

a : wearing or habited in white

b : marked by the presence of snow : snowy <a white Christmas>

5

a : heated to the point of whiteness

b : notably ardent : passionate <white fury>

6

a : conservative or reactionary in political outlook and action

b : instigated or carried out by reactionary forces as a counterrevolutionary measure <a white terror>

7

: of, relating to, or constituting a musical tone quality characterized by a controlled pure sound, a lack of warmth and color, and a lack of resonance

8

: consisting of a wide range of frequencies —used of light, sound, and electromagnetic radiation

— whit·ish \ˈhwī-tish, ˈwī-\ adjective

Examples of WHITE

1. He was wearing white sneakers.
2. He had a long, white beard.
3. Her lips were white with fear.
4. He turned white when he heard the news.
5. He came from a white middle-class background.
6. His mother is Hispanic and his father is white.

Origin of WHITE

Middle English, from Old English hwīt; akin to Old High German hwīz white and probably to Old Church Slavic světŭ light, Sanskrit śveta white, bright

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WHITE

Synonyms

tintless [archaic], uncolored, undyed, unpainted, unstained, colorless

Antonyms

colored, colorized, dyed, hued, painted, pigmented, stained, tinct, tinctured, tinged, tinted

Related Words

clear, limpid, liquid, lucent, pellucid, transparent; bleached, faded, palish, washed-out, washy; dull, faint, gray (also grey), neutral, pale, pallid; snow-white, snowy, whited

Near Antonyms

colorful, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, varicolored, variegated

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

Rhymes with WHITE

bight, bite, blight, bright, byte, cite, dight, dite, fight, flight, fright, height, hight, kite, knight, krait, kyte, light, lite, might, mite, night, plight, quite, right, rite, sight, site, sleight, slight, smite, spite, sprite, tight, trite, wight, wite, wright, write

²white

noun

Definition of WHITE

1

: the achromatic object color of greatest lightness characteristically perceived to belong to objects that reflect diffusely nearly all incident energy throughout the visible spectrum

2

a : a white or light-colored part of something: as (1) : a mass of albuminous material surrounding the yolk of an egg (2) : the white part of the eyeball (3) : the light-colored pieces in a 2-player board game; also : the player by whom these are played (4) : the area of a page unmarked by writing, printing, or illustration

b (1) archaic : a white target (2) : the fifth or outermost circle of an archery target; also : a shot that hits it

3

: one that is or approaches white in color: as

a : white clothing —often used in plural

b : white wine

c : a white mammal (as a horse or a hog)

d (1) : a white-colored product (as flour, pins, or sugar) —usually used in plural (2) : any of numerous butterflies (subfamily Pierinae of the family Pieridae) that usually have the ground color of the wings white and are related to the sulphur butterflies

e plural : teeth —used in the phrase pearly whites

4

plural : leukorrhea

5

: a person belonging to a light-skinned race

6

often capitalized : a member of a conservative or reactionary political group

Examples of WHITE

1. the whites of his eyes
2. The cake recipe calls for four egg whites.

First Known Use of WHITE

before 12th century

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

³white

transitive verb

whit·edwhit·ing

Definition of WHITE

archaic

: whiten

Origin of WHITE

Middle English, from white, adjective

First Known Use: before 12th century

White

biographical name \ˈhwīt, ˈwīt\

Definition of WHITE

Andrew Dickson 1832–1918 Am. educ. & diplomat

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Byron Raymond 1917–2002 Am. jurist

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Edward Douglass 1845–1921 Am. jurist; chief justice United States Supreme Court (1910–21)

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Elwyn Brooks 1899–1985 Am. journalist & writer

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Gilbert 1720–1793 Eng. clergyman & naturalist

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Patrick Victor Martindale 1912–1990 Austral. writer

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Stanford 1853–1906 Am. architect

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

Theodore Harold 1915–1986 Am. journalist & writer

White

biographical name

Definition of WHITE

William Allen 1868–1944 Am. journalist & writer

White

geographical name

Definition of WHITE

1

river 690 miles (1110 kilometers) N Arkansas & SW Missouri flowing SE into Mississippi River

2

river 250 miles (402 kilometers) NW Colorado & E Utah flowing W into Green River

3

river 50 miles (80 kilometers) SW Indiana flowing W into the Wabash

4

river 325 miles (523 kilometers) S South Dakota flowing E into Missouri River

5

river 130 miles (209 kilometers) NW Texas