carotenoid

noun

ca·​rot·​en·​oid kə-ˈrä-tə-ˌnȯid 

variants or less commonly carotinoid

: any of various usually yellow to red pigments (such as carotenes) found widely in plants and animals and characterized chemically by a long aliphatic polyene chain composed of eight isoprene units

carotenoid adjective

Examples of carotenoid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When chlorophyll is stored during the fall and winter, what’s left are the reds, oranges, and purples of fall that leaves get from compounds called carotenoids and anthocyanins, the travel website noted. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Good for Eye Health Carrots provide ample amounts of beta-carotene and other carotenoids known to protect eye health. —Barbie Cervoni, Verywell Health, 7 Nov. 2025

These foods are rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamins that protect the brain from oxidative stress and inflammation. —Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 7 Nov. 2025

Spinach is packed with the carotenoid antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carotenoid

• albuminoid
• arytenoid
• cannabinoid
• epidermoid
• epithelioid
• meteoroid
• paraboloid
• subarachnoid
• underemployed
• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid

Medical Definition

carotenoid

noun

ca·​rot·​en·​oid

variants also carotinoid

kə-ˈrät-ᵊn-ˌȯid 

: any of various usually yellow to red pigments (as carotenes) found widely in plants and animals and characterized chemically by a long aliphatic polyene chain composed of eight isoprene units

carotenoid adjective