mood board

noun

variants or less commonly moodboard

ˈmüd-ˌbȯrd 

plural mood boards also moodboards

: a collection of images, fabrics, etc. assembled on a physical or digital board and used as aesthetic inspiration when planning the design of something (such as a project, event, or room)

Mood boards are a way for businesses to get on the same page as their clients and they are used by interior designers, fashion designers, event planners, and more.

—Phoebe Avison

In one corner, a huge mood board was covered with colorful fabric swatches, paint samples and pictures of furniture.

—Tanda Gmiter

This white dress sums up my summer fashion moodboard—it's lightweight, comfortable, and takes about zero effort to style.

—Brooke Knappenberger

compare vision board

Examples of mood board in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When your original address—not just a Brooklyn townhouse, but the Brooklyn townhouse—becomes Pinterest’s definitive mood board-inspiring space, the pressure is on for the next act to follow suit. —Freya Drohan, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2026

The image adorns fall fashion mood boards to this day. —Natalie Arroyo Camacho, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026

In an adjacent room strewn with the detritus of designers at work, a 1970s-era mood board of photos and sketches covers the wall. —Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026

The team has a new mood board for a collection called Mob Wife. —Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mood board

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword