coloring

1 of 2

noun

col·​or·​ing ˈkə-lə-riŋ 

1

a

: the act of applying colors

b

: something that produces color or color effects

c(1)

: the effect produced by applying or combining colors

(2)

: natural color

(3)

: complexion, coloration

d

: change of appearance (as by adding color)

2

: influence, bias

3

: color sense 8

4

: timbre, quality

coloring

2 of 2

present participle of color entry 2

Synonyms of coloring

Noun

• pigment
• dye
• color
• colorant
• stain

Examples of coloring in a Sentence

Noun

Her favorite activities include playing with stuffed animals and coloring.

Our product contains no artificial coloring or flavoring.

She added some blue food coloring to the icing.

This scarf will look great with your coloring.

He has very light coloring.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her almost-white blonde coloring helped to amp up the hairdo’s geometric shape. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026

Somehow, this fact seems to echo the rightness of the way things are naturally formed in the world—like the coloring of rock formations or the markings on an animal’s hide. — Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Eastern box turtles are a subspecies of the common box turtle (Terrapene carolina), with bright orange and yellow coloring on its dark shell. — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026

Livesay-Smith corrected her, continued coloring and directed the conversation to other family members. — Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing coloring

• coloring book

Kids Definition

coloring

noun

col·​or·​ing ˈkəl-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: the act of applying colors

2

: something that produces color

food coloring

3

: the effect produced by applying or combining colors

4

: complexion sense 1, coloration

5

: change of appearance (as by adding color)