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

Or, instead of starting each day with a number, begin with an image—a watercolor landscape, or a witty drawing—with the illustrator Christoph Niemann’s new calendar Every Day ($52). — Nicholas Blechman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2026

At the Palazzo Reale, an entire wall is punctuated by Picabia’s loose pencil and watercolor studies of the severe faces of Sevillian women, dark tresses piled high under lace mantillas. — Nicole Kaack, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, in Bar Sur, regional maker Cata Flaño contributed a massive mixed-media mural combining watercolors with local peat, driftwood, and historical navigation charts marked at 55 degrees south. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

In Elizabeth Jane Howard’s 1950 debut novel The Beautiful Visit, her young protagonist becomes the lady’s companion of an ageing fantasist, Mrs Borders, who fills the hours and every wall and drawer of her house with watercolors. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026

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