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

With a mood board of influences including CD-binder staples like Neil Young’s Harvest Moon and alt-country lifers Blue Rodeo’s Five Days in July, Shabason and Krgovich summon the spirit of a backyard campfire attended by folkies and experimental jazz nerds alike. —Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 18 June 2026

An InStyle editor shares 12 cat-eye nail designs for your July mood board. —Amanda Le, InStyle, 17 June 2026

As part of her prep, Frazier builds mood boards at the start of every season with ideas for each character. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 June 2026

Nuuly posted a Plan a ’90s day in NYC mood board on Instagram, with links to rentable looks. —Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 12 June 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