noncolor

noun

non·​col·​or ˌnän-ˈkə-lər 

: a drab or muted color or a color such as black, white, or gray as distinguished from red, blue, yellow, etc.

… the furniture is upholstered in fabrics that are natural not only in fiber but in color. … Only a few notes of red, in a small table and a pair of chests, punctuate the range of noncolors.

—Joan Chatfield-Taylor

—often used before another noun

noncolor photography [=black and white photography]

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Or noncolor: Anyone know the answer to this eternal question? —Mark Holgate, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above