yellow

1 of 3

adjective

yel·​low ˈye-(ˌ)lō 

dialectal ˈye-lər

or ˈya-

1

a

: of the color yellow

b

: become yellowish through age, disease, or discoloration : sallow

c

sometimes offensive : having a light olive or light brown complexion

2

a

: featuring sensational or scandalous items or ordinary news sensationally distorted

yellow journalism

b

: mean, cowardly

yellowish

ˈye-lə-wish 

adjective

yellow

2 of 3

noun

plural yellows

1

: something yellow or marked by a yellow color: such as

a

sometimes offensive : a person having light olive or light brown skin

b

: the yolk of an egg

2

a

: a color whose hue resembles that of ripe lemons or sunflowers or is that of the portion of the spectrum lying between green and orange

b

: a pigment or dye that colors yellow

3

yellows plural : jaundice

4

yellows plural in form but singular in construction : any of several plant diseases caused especially by phytoplasmas and marked by yellowing of the foliage and stunting

yellow

3 of 3

verb

yellowed; yellowing; yellows

intransitive verb

: to become or turn yellow

transitive verb

: to make yellow : give a yellow tinge or color to

yellowed by time

Synonyms of yellow

Adjective

• afraid
• scared
• chicken
• frightened
• careful
• pusillanimous
• spineless
• cowardly
• craven
• dastardly
• gutless
• unheroic

Examples of yellow in a Sentence

Adjective

He was too yellow to stand up and fight.

you'll come with us into the cave, unless you're yellow

Noun

The bridesmaids were dressed in yellow.

a room decorated in yellows and greens

Verb

The paper had yellowed with age.

The leaves were yellowed by disease.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Along the sides, six-spoke wheels and yellow brake calipers stand out, while the four-door layout is carefully integrated into the flowing roofline. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026

Maynard says to skip primary and bright colors like red, yellow, purple, and orange. —Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 7 Jan. 2026

Noun

The only exceptions have been his three-way collaborations with Fragment in the Japanese label’s signature shade of blue, as well as the blue and yellow of his high school, Elkins. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 8 Jan. 2026

Overheating at night can make your pillowcases turn yellow faster, but all of us have natural body oils that will eventually turn a pillow yellow. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2026

Verb

Accumulated salts become toxic, causing yellowing, leaf burn, and dieback. —Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025

Five years later, the yellowing article is still there. —Michael Weissenstein, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English yelwe, yelow, from Old English geolu; akin to Old High German gelo yellow, Latin helvus light bay, Greek chlōros greenish yellow, Sanskrit hari yellowish

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing yellow

• canary yellow
• chrome yellow
• high yellow
• lemon yellow
• primrose yellow
• straw yellow
• sulphur yellow
• yellow-bellied
• yellow bile
• yellow birch
• yellow card
• yellow-dog
• yellow-dog contract
• yellow fever
• yellow-fever mosquito
• yellow-green alga
• yellow jack
• yellow jacket
• yellow jessamine
• yellow legged hornet
• yellow ocher
• yellow pages
• yellow perch
• yellow peril
• yellow pine
• yellow poplar
• yellow rain
• yellow-shafted flicker
• yellow spot

Rhymes for yellow

• cello
• fellow
• jello
• mellow
• melo
• velo
• marshmallow
• morello
• othello
• schoolfellow
• portobello
• violoncello

Kids Definition

yellow

1 of 2 adjective

yel·​low ˈyel-ō 

1

a

: of the color yellow

b

: yellowish from age, disease, or discoloring

2

: cowardly sense 1

yellow verb

yellowness noun

yellow

2 of 2 noun

1

: a color like that of ripe lemons

2

: something yellow or yellowish