watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lər 

ˈwä-

1

: a paint of which the liquid is a water dispersion of the binding material (such as glue, casein, or gum)

2

: the art or method of painting with watercolors

3

: a picture or design executed in watercolors

watercolor adjective

watercolorist

ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lə-rist 

ˈwä-

noun

Examples of watercolor in a Sentence

a landscape done in watercolor

He only works in watercolors.

We bought a watercolor of the shore.

Recent Examples on the Web

Marble benches were tucked away in nooks of the lake, perfect for an easel and some watercolors. —Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2025

MoMA will welcome fifteen watercolors by Paul Cézanne along with the French artist’s paintings Cistern in the Park of Château Noir, ca. —News Desk, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2025

Graphite and watercolor on paper, dated c. 1810, the sketch is 114 × 80 mm (4½ × 31/8 inches). —Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025

Another character dreams of running away to operate a shrimp boat with her Filipino servant, an aesthete who paints watercolors and practices his French. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for watercolor

• multicolor
• technicolor
• unicolor
• versicolor
• bicolor
• concolor
• discolor
• tricolor
• color
• colour
• culler
• duller

Kids Definition

watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯt-ər-ˌkəl-ər 

ˈwät-

1

: a paint whose liquid part is water

2

: a picture painted with watercolor

3

: the art of painting with watercolor

watercolorist

-ˌkəl-ə-rəst 

noun