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

At least the girls’ room had toys on the floor and pictures on the wall—kid pictures in crayon and watercolor, stuck on with Blu Tack. —Benjamin Markovits, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025

Part tint, part stain, Colour Wash’s consistency is like a watercolor paint for your visage. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025

They’re rendered in a clean, strong outline against a watercolor background. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025

Each piece is stabilized by Verona marble stops and is carefully hand-painted, first with a brush and then by cloth, creating a delicate watercolor effect that renders each screen as one-of-a-kind. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Dec. 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