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

As watercolor materials incorporated gum arabic, the printing industry would soon also come to rely on the substance. —Erik Zou, JSTOR Daily, 25 Apr. 2025

Art is everywhere in food, from doodles on condiment packaging to watercolors on plates and tea towels. —Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025

For a full palette of watercolors, combine 1 cup of baking soda with 3/4 cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and 1 cup cornstarch. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025

The artworks will reflect a variety of styles in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels, pencil and mixed media, said Janet Keto, president of the Fine Arts group. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 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