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
Dorothy Roberts, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
In the third group, six 6-foot-tall paintings on canvas titled Split-screen, the colored stripes multiply and invade the black-and-white space above, creating overlapping layers.
—Benjamin Lima, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Francesca’s pinnacle Once a Regency world has implied there’s mass print culture capable of speedy and pervasive distribution of colored images, something as persnickety as vocabulary is probably beside the point.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
Besides red, this Christmas flower can be white, pink, peach, green or bi-colored.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
What is now metal siding will turn into a green-colored brick material meant to draw in passersby.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
The suspect at the time of the incident wore a black shirt, a black coat, and a black hat with multi-colored stars on it.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
For the director, the most important improvement came to the opening credits, which feature white text on a stark white background, as brightly colored breakfast cereal cascades in slow motion onto a boy’s upturned face.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Rare-colored and-patterned betta fish can command prices into the hundreds and thousands of dollars, but your average betta can be bought for under $20 at a local pet store.
—Sierra Leone Starks, Parents, 10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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