purple

adjective

ˈpər-pəl How to pronounce purple (audio)
Definition of purplenext
as in rhetorical
full of fine words and fancy expressions an overwritten novel with far too many purple patches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 purple Since then, the suburban Kansas City county’s electorate has continued a yearslong trend of turning the previously purple county solidly blue. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026 The textural piece featured contrasting shades of crushed purple and green throughout. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026 And the adorable potato salad of tiny red, yellow and purple tubers gets enrobed whole in a mayonnaise dressing. — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026 This skincare-forward, creamy formula neutralizes my purple-blue under-eye shadows, faking far more hours slept. — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for purple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purple
  1. rhetorical
  2. ornate
Adjective
  • His prose is noted for its rhetorical, exuberant style and use of satire.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Eisenkot lacks Netanyahu’s rhetorical flair, polished English, and decades on the world stage.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhetorical
Adjective
  • Restaurant Asador Etxebarri, which is located in Spain's Basque Country, won top billing as the World’s Best Restaurant 2026 at the event held at the ornate Teatro Municipal de Lima.
    — Nathan Tavares, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The game's astonishingly ornate textures can jar with its cartoony proportions.
    — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of ornate

Browse Nearby Words

purls
purple
purple passage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purple. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
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