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
Christina Perrier, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026
The historic angle also has an appeal that the hyper-colored, hero-type games of the modern era lack.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
Shadows, pink-colored halos, stripes on the moon, and the incandescent glow of the streetlights turned skyward illuminating the row of rooftops populated with what looked like angels holding hands.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Kumar's mother Subhawati arrived later, dressed in her best, brightly colored sari, gifted by her daughter.
—Diaa Hadid, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
Inside the cafe, the tables were covered in brightly colored polyurethane tablecloths, also covered with flowers.
—Roxane Gay, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
That 2007 campaign — where silver-colored cars also did battle with red at the front of the pack, as has happened across the first three races of the 2026 season — quickly soured at the McLaren team Hamilton and Alonso represented.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
She was described as being in her early 20s to late 30s, 5-feet-4, 135 pounds and was wearing a multi-colored short dress with a gray sweater and a bracelet of black and yellow rubber with two keys.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
The original fit featured a loud bird-print top with matching bird-print pants, but Augusta National nixed the pants and asked Day to wear solid-colored pants instead.
—Ryan Brennan
april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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