violet

noun

vi·o·let | \ ˈvī-(ə-)lət

Definition of violet

1a : any of a genus (Viola of the family Violaceae, the violet family) of chiefly herbs with alternate stipulate leaves and showy flowers in spring and often cleistogamous flowers in summer especially : one with smaller usually solid-colored flowers as distinguished from the usually larger-flowered violas and pansies

b : any of several plants of genera other than that of the violet — compare dogtooth violet

2 : any of a group of colors of reddish-blue hue, low lightness, and medium saturation

Examples of violet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The green-to-violet portion of the light spectrum gets filtered out, while the red, orange, and yellow wavelengths remain. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "How a Total Lunar Eclipse Works," 18 Jan. 2019 And at the Polynesian in Manhattan, a dash of ube extract made from purple yams lends a violet hue to a variation called the Commodore. — Kara Newman, WSJ, "Shake Up the Daiquiri for Fall," 27 Sep. 2018 Charmed and Play resulted in a dreamy lid wash that alternately flashed violet and peach in the cool winter light. — Sarah Wu, Glamour, "If You Buy Only One Palette This Year, Make It This," 29 Nov. 2018 For an afternoon party, fill Victorian teacups with small bunches of violets, and place one cup at each setting. — Maggie O'neill, Good Housekeeping, "25 Practical Tips for Flower Arrangements From 1952," 7 May 2015 The set of twelve colors ranges from matte peach, to copper, to ruddy violet and shimmery grape. — Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "came into my life, and my horizons expanded—right up to cherry eyeshadow, the "everywhere" color of fall 2018.," 4 Oct. 2018 Thousands of women gathered Sunday to turn British cities into rivers of green, white and violet to mark 100 years since the first U.K. women won the right to vote. — Washington Post, "100 years of voting: British marches celebrate suffragettes," 10 June 2018 On offer are lamps, garment racks, side tables, and accent chairs; all dyed a shade of vibrant violet. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Crosby Studios Opens an Ultra-Cool, Ultraviolet Pop-Up at Opening Ceremony," 10 May 2018 The classic aroma of violets hovers in the glass as the wine lands at first sip with a lean elegance. — Craig Laban, Philly.com, "Drink: Uncle Paul's red Burgundy from Jean-Louis Maissenet Bonnard," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'violet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.