colorblind

adjective

col·​or·​blind ˈkə-lər-ˌblīnd 

variants or less commonly color-blind

1

: affected with partial or total inability to distinguish one or more chromatic colors

… confirmed, after a trip to the eye doctor, that he was red-green colorblind.

—Amanda Long

Truly color-blind animals are fairly rare. Some animals that can't see color to any notable degree include certain whales, seals and sea lions, and some owls.

—Clay Wollney

2

: not influenced by differences of race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

a colorblind policy/approach

especially : treating all people the same regardless of race

… a country that prefers to see itself as colorblind.

—Sidsel Overgaard

Note: While sense 2 can be used with positive connotations of freedom from racial prejudice, it often suggests a failure or refusal to acknowledge or address the many racial inequities that exist in society, or to acknowledge important aspects of racial identity.

Equitable instruction isn't colorblind, it is responsive to students' unique and diverse backgrounds, said Imani Goffney, assistant professor of mathematics education at the University of Maryland College of Education's Center for Mathematics Education.

—Lindsay McKenzie

What I learned was that white parents often refrain from speaking with their children about race, racism and racial inequality. If racial discussions do occur they are characterized by a colorblind rhetoric.

—Megan R. Underhill

3

: insensitive, oblivious

We maintain no cash reserves, assuming we can borrow our way out of a crisis. We live as if color-blind to risk.

—Byron Moore

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for colorblind

• countersigned
• disinclined
• humankind
• interlined
• intertwined
• mastermind
• misaligned
• nonaligned
• predefined
• realigned
• reassigned
• recombined

Kids Definition

color-blind

adjective

col·​or-blind

ˈkəl-ər-ˌblīnd

: being partly or totally unable to recognize one or more colors

color blindness noun

Medical Definition

colorblind

adjective

col·​or·​blind ˈkəl-ər-ˌblīnd 

variants also color-blind

: affected with partial or total inability to distinguish one or more chromatic colors