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
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
The cranberry-colored outfit includes dress shirt, matching dress shoes and socks, and accessories that reflect the actor’s red-carpet style, Tussauds officials say.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Then wander next door to Queenstown Marina, a modern counterpoint to the heritage cafe that consists of a bakery, a Pilates studio and watersports outfitters housed in candy-colored floating sheds.
—New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
In London, Sadie Sink attended the press night afterparty for Romeo & Juliet in an ivory-colored satin gown by Prada.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Other chairs are covered in a lighter-colored fabric.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026
What to Know Data shows that colored car paints have increased their share of the market by nearly two percentage points in recent years, according to Car and Driver.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
They’re made with the kind of care that shows in every delicate, pastel-colored wafer.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
The reversible design gives you two different vessels are wrapped into one, either done up in a striking colored hue or in a clear crystal, all mouth-blown and hand-turned in Saint-Louis’s manufacture in Moselle.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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