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

The space includes a large coat closet and is adorned with handcrafted, pastel watercolor wallpaper with gold metallic flecks. —Vivian Marino, New York Times, 20 May 2025

Features beginner-friendly watercolor tutorials that can guide your sessions. —Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 14 May 2025

It’s filled with dreamy watercolor maps and artist musings that perfectly capture the city’s magic. —Jenn Rice, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

As for eyes and lips, Lauren Parsons, makeup artist and Burberry beauty’s US brand advocate, points to an unexpected pairing: watercolor eyes and deep lips. —Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 13 May 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