sepia

1 of 2

noun

se·​pia ˈsē-pē-ə 

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

sepia

2 of 2

adjective

1

: made of or done in sepia

2

: of the color sepia

Examples of sepia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The sketches are in sepia tone or black and white, with all the color taken out of them. —Sierra Knoch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025

The decade is lushly integrated into the storyline, a soft focus and sepia tones bring an air of nostalgia to the fore as the sets and cast recreate the trappings of a gritty Madrid, 1979. —Holly Jones, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin, cuttlefish, ink, from Greek sēpia

First Known Use

Noun

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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