Usage of Colored
The adjective meanings of colored relating to race were formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century. Attitudes toward them had changed, however, by the 1960s. Although colored is still occasionally used in self-reference by and between Black people, the adjective as used by others is offensive; the terms Black and African American are preferred. Colored remains in the full name of the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), a civil rights organization founded in the early 20th century.
Usage of Colored
The noun colored was formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century, although attitudes toward it had changed by the 1960s. In most nonhistorical contexts, this use of colored is now considered unacceptable.
Examples of colored in a Sentence
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
The throwback elements of Rush’s show – the zigzagging colored lasers, the bursts of pyro that momentarily stunned with their booms, the gratification of watching musicians so focused on their music that running around the stage was not an option – reminded of a simpler era of concert-going.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Tables were set with ornate china, colored crystal glasses, silver candelabra, antique tureens, and monumental centerpieces.
—Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 7 June 2026
Ginny Litscher and Helena Christensen blend in with the background in multi-colored dresses at the Ginny Litscher Wrap Party in New York City on May 26.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026
Sully, who was active from the 1920s through the 1940s, worked primarily with paper and colored pencils, creating works about domesticity and popular culture in American homes.
—Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 6 June 2026
In 2016, Liu attended the ceremony as an official presenter wearing a sweeping sunshine-colored gown by Zuhair Murad Couture.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 6 June 2026
From the train windows, expect to spot the aquamarine waves of Ligurian Sea crashing against the stony coast, candy-colored houses huddled together on the hillsides, tiny wooden boats gliding through village harbors, and flecks of golden-sand beaches.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 June 2026
As each multi-colored dinosaur is born, kids watching at home learn how to count.
—Parents, 5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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