1
a
: a brown melanin-containing pigment from the ink of cuttlefishes
b
: the inky secretion of a cuttlefish
2
: a print or photograph of a brown color resembling sepia
3
: a brownish-gray to dark olive-brown color
1
: made of or done in sepia
2
: of the color sepia
Examples of sepia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
The woman in the sepia toned photo from the 1890s appears dark complected.
—Nora Mathison, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2023
For pale skin, this can mean sepia browns, while medium and olive skin tones can go for milk chocolate shades.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2023
My most satisfying encounter with pasta here was orecchiette, ear shapes that caught drops of creamy-tasting parmesan sauce and crumbles of fennel pork sausage, sepia tones contrasted with bright broccoli rabe — a common pasta combination done right.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
The viewers come in neutral shades of gray and sepia, as well as in capri blue.
—Michelle Matthews | Mmatthews@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
For homes nestled amid lush green landscaping, try a rich chocolaty brown such as Behr's Natural Bark, while warm sepia tones like Über Umber by Sherwin-Williams look great on homes in more arid climates.
—Elizabeth Sweet, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 June 2023
However, this time her videos were mostly shot out in nature in the fall with a misty or sepia filter, evoking the comfort, warmth, and nostalgia attached to the fall and winter seasons.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2023
Every day is a new adventure with a sepia filter while your songs play in the background, a music video of wild experiences for your bandmates to reflect upon later in life with nostalgia.
—Autumn Micketti, SPIN, 4 May 2023
Lindsey Bahr, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2023
The harsh, desaturated look of Luc Montpellier’s cinematography — not quite black-and-white, not quite sepia — establishes an ambiance of persistent, disorienting unreality.
—Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2022
The sepia fog turned to bright colors and deep shadows in the late-afternoon sun.
—Robert Gauthierstaff Photographer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The sepia blowups of crab fisherman, outside and in, are especially arresting.
—Washington Post, 14 May 2021
Cyclists have always adapted to a variety of terrain, as those old, sepia-tone photographs of the Tour de France from the early 1900s will attest.
—Brion O’Connor, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2019
All the group has to go on is an old, wallet-sized sepia photograph.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2019
In fact, the first half of the movie is a mostly plotless, sepia-tone slog, whose copious scenes of tree-chopping, pillow talk and creepy cult rituals prompted a handful of fest-goers to walk out.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2018
But Lepp, who lives in Seattle and has a background in film and the gaming industry, has so much more invested in these sepia panels, and so many stories to tell.
—Steve Duin, OregonLive.com, 1 Feb. 2018
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Noun
The sun turned blood-red or was all but blotted out, disappearing along with the city skyline; the sky turned gray, or sepia, or eerily tangerine, and ash floated down like snow.
—Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
The woman in the sepia toned photo from the 1890s appears dark complected.
—Nora Mathison, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2023
For pale skin, this can mean sepia browns, while medium and olive skin tones can go for milk chocolate shades.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2023
My most satisfying encounter with pasta here was orecchiette, ear shapes that caught drops of creamy-tasting parmesan sauce and crumbles of fennel pork sausage, sepia tones contrasted with bright broccoli rabe — a common pasta combination done right.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
The viewers come in neutral shades of gray and sepia, as well as in capri blue.
—Michelle Matthews | Mmatthews@al.com, al, 20 July 2023
For homes nestled amid lush green landscaping, try a rich chocolaty brown such as Behr's Natural Bark, while warm sepia tones like Über Umber by Sherwin-Williams look great on homes in more arid climates.
—Elizabeth Sweet, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 June 2023
However, this time her videos were mostly shot out in nature in the fall with a misty or sepia filter, evoking the comfort, warmth, and nostalgia attached to the fall and winter seasons.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2023
Every day is a new adventure with a sepia filter while your songs play in the background, a music video of wild experiences for your bandmates to reflect upon later in life with nostalgia.
—Autumn Micketti, SPIN, 4 May 2023
Adjective
Polley and cinematographer Luc Montpellier shoot the story in a muted palette, not quite sepia but not quite color either, reflecting the limited world of its characters.
—Lindsey Bahr, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2023
The harsh, desaturated look of Luc Montpellier’s cinematography — not quite black-and-white, not quite sepia — establishes an ambiance of persistent, disorienting unreality.
—Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2022
The sepia fog turned to bright colors and deep shadows in the late-afternoon sun.
—Robert Gauthierstaff Photographer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The sepia blowups of crab fisherman, outside and in, are especially arresting.
—Washington Post, 14 May 2021
Cyclists have always adapted to a variety of terrain, as those old, sepia-tone photographs of the Tour de France from the early 1900s will attest.
—Brion O’Connor, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2019
All the group has to go on is an old, wallet-sized sepia photograph.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2019
In fact, the first half of the movie is a mostly plotless, sepia-tone slog, whose copious scenes of tree-chopping, pillow talk and creepy cult rituals prompted a handful of fest-goers to walk out.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2018
But Lepp, who lives in Seattle and has a background in film and the gaming industry, has so much more invested in these sepia panels, and so many stories to tell.
—Steve Duin, OregonLive.com, 1 Feb. 2018
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sepia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near sepia
Cite this Entry
“Sepia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sepia. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
sepia
1 of 2 noun
se·pia
ˈsē-pē-ə 
1
: a brown pigment made from the ink of cuttlefishes
2
: a brownish gray
sepia
2 of 2 adjective
: of the color sepia
Medical Definition
sepia
noun
se·pia
ˈsē-pē-ə
1
capitalized
: a genus (the type of the family Sepiidae) of oval-bodied cephalopods that comprise the cuttlefishes and have a saclike organ containing a dark fluid and an internal shell mostly of calcium carbonate which has been used as an antacid and in tooth and polishing powders
2
: the inky secretion of a cuttlefish or a brown pigment from it
More from Merriam-Webster on sepia
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sepia
Nglish: Translation of sepia for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sepia
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