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

In her TikTok video, Campbell threw in a crossword book, camera, watercolor set, paper planner, and knitting supplies. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2025

But to my surprise, these watercolors have bucked the trend. —Lauren Silbert, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025

But the pink watercolor version is on sale for Prime Day and would pair well with nude heels. —Ivy Odom, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025

In September, Polène unveiled a collaboration with Chinese glass artist Jinya Zhao, which took the shape of a geometric sculpture made of blown glass and leather off-cuts and created in two watercolor gradients of lavender and amber. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 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