pastel 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of pastelnext
as in pale
lacking intensity of color a pastel blue to go with the pale pink walls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pastel

2 of 2

noun

as in watercolor

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pastel
Adjective
Surrounded by Notting Hill’s pastel town houses, the Portobello Hotel’s interiors are their own draw, sporting vibrant colors and unexpected textural pairings. — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2026 The muted lilac puts a pretty fall spin on the traditional pastel color. — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
Isla Fisher shines in pastel pink at the Serpentine Summer Party on June 23 in London. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 While the pastel was trending earlier this year, it’s officially been overtaken by its more summery sister. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pastel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastel
  1. pale
  2. watercolor
  3. faded
  4. drawing
  5. light
  6. gouache
  7. tempera
  8. acrylic
Adjective
  • Madison’s Dior shoes went with a custom strapless Dior dress in shining shades of silver and pale gray.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • After a consultation with Marchetto, Garnett settled on adding a spattering of dark brown leather floral motifs, to complement the navy and pale blue check.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of pale
Noun
  • At the Palazzo Reale, an entire wall is punctuated by Picabia’s loose pencil and watercolor studies of the severe faces of Sevillian women, dark tresses piled high under lace mantillas.
    — Nicole Kaack, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In today’s commercial age of plenty, the most important task of the dust jacket is to match a book to your mood, from the pastoral watercolor tones of the travel narrative or cosy domestic romance, to the dark hues of the murder mystery.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of watercolor
Adjective
  • The offering will be promoted online with shots featuring Klein, both on her own and with Melillo, as well as a video where the longtime friends reminisce barefoot in faded jeans and, of course, white T-shirts.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators described him as a white male in his late 50s, with a scruffy, gray beard who was wearing a faded blue baseball cap.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Noun
  • Known for her charcoal drawings, abstract paintings of New York City skyscrapers, and depictions of the nature, particularly in the American southwest, she is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • More than 300,000 other tickets sold in the United States also won prizes ranging from $10 to $30,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of drawing
Adjective
  • To prevent the seed heads from reseeding, do a preliminary light prune by trimming off the tops in fall, then cut the clumps back fully in spring.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The 100 percent polyester fabric is light, yet durable enough to protect you from unpredictable autumn weather.
    — Kate Donovan, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of light
Noun
  • Christie’s estimates the large, rare tempera and gouache painting of a festive, folkloric Russian scene, which Kandinsky made in Paris, will fetch over $30 million.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The tarot is a full 78-card deck, with each card an original work of art, usually a composite of gouache painting and collage/lithography.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of gouache
Noun
  • Christie’s estimates the large, rare tempera and gouache painting of a festive, folkloric Russian scene, which Kandinsky made in Paris, will fetch over $30 million.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • This will be followed by a final period in Florence to learn the technique and historical evolution of egg tempera, to acquire ancient handweaving skills and expand her knowledge of its applications in the ecclesiastic context.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
Definition of tempera
Noun
  • The same sale includes an untitled 1968 acrylic on paper by Mark Rothko (estimate $10–$15 million), which appears to have been consigned by Ed Rabin, the former president of Hyatt Hotels, and his wife, Jackie.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • An acrylic and ink work on paper by artist Julie Wolfe, which Colgan gave to her husband for their first wedding anniversary, hangs over the bed.
    — Sallie Lewis, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of acrylic

Browse Nearby Words

pasted
pastel
pastels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pastel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastel. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pastel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pastel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of valorous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All