primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors from which all other colors may be derived

Examples of primary color in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The painting epitomizes the primary colors and geometric rigidity of the de Stijl movement that Mondrian helped define. —Alex Vadukul, New York Times, 3 May 2024

Three crisp, sharp triangles in flat primary colors are edged in scalloped yellow. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors from which all other colors may be made with the colors for light being red, green, and blue and for pigments or paint being red, yellow, and blue

Medical Definition

primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors (as red, yellow, and blue or red, green, and blue) from which all other colors may be derived