local color

Definition of local color

: the presentation of the features and peculiarities of a particular locality and its inhabitants in writing

Examples of local color in a Sentence

a writer who uses local color in his stories

Recent Examples on the Web Visitors should also take time to stroll the city’s malecón, or seafront promenade, for a dash of local color. — Mark Rogers, USA TODAY, "Why you should put the Dominican Republic back on your vacation shortlist," 4 Dec. 2019 At some point, the author’s deft use of local color becomes merely clutter, and the reader wishes a 600-page book had been trimmed to about 300. — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, "He burned Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and killed his mistress — but why?," 22 Nov. 2019 Looking for local color is fun, but can be dangerous to your health. — BostonGlobe.com, "Irish theater wasn’t coming here, so I went there. Here’s why you should go, too. - The Boston Globe," 18 Sep. 2019 Let’s hope so, because for anyone who likes mysteries with good plotting and characterization, vivid local color, and sparkling language, the Montalbano series is azackly right. — Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post, "Blind, Andrea Camilleri dictated this delightful mystery novel before his death at 93," 12 Sep. 2019 Holsinger’s cautionary tale, richly rooted in local color, could be called The Great Front Range Novel. — Michael Upchurch, BostonGlobe.com, "A cautionary tale, richly rooted in local color," 25 July 2019 Carol added to local color by marching in Conway's Festival of the Hills parade as Carol the Clown – a big hit with little children. — courant.com, "Carol A. DiIorio," 13 June 2019 Not much local color there, but travelers themselves often fascinated me. — New York Times, "The Frugal Five," 27 June 2018 Authorities hope Cossacks will protect fans while adding local color. — Washington Post, "Cossacks under scrutiny as they prepare to guard World Cup," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'local color.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Local color.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/local%20color. Accessed 25 January 2020.

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