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

In his research for both projects, his mood boards filled up with references to periods of intense cultural flowering cut short—Weimar Germany, 1970s Iran, Cuba in the ’50s, and New York City before the AIDS crisis. — Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026

Furstenberg’s own personal style remains a creative constant as well, with vintage photos of the designer featured on the studio mood boards. — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Maxwell had arrived with her own mood board, but said the final result was collaborative once the team was in the room. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

Ives Any true fan of Gothic storytelling has seen and loved the series Penny Dreadful and likely has photos of Vanessa Ives, played to perfection by Eva Green, on their mood board. — Anna Earl, Parents, 5 Sep. 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