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

His duplex shows a cultured side: Persian rugs, two statues of green, shin-high Vietnamese Foo dogs, framed lithographs of sailboats, watercolors of street scenes in Italy, a shelf of books on art, a rack of records of Mozart and Vivaldi. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025

Around the same time, Simpson started painting small watercolor portraits, a respite from the logistical demands of film. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

Meanwhile, her own work as an accomplished watercolor artist whose paintings may have inspired parts of Jane’s novels has been largely forgotten. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025

One such medium was watercolor painting, which had existed in varying forms since ancient times but soon reached a new level of prestige in Britain. —Erik Zou, JSTOR Daily, 25 Apr. 2025

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