purple

1 of 3

adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl How to pronounce purple (audio)
1
: having a color between red and blue : of the color purple
a purple flower
purple fabric
… can only have left his antagonists purple with frustration.Joseph Epstein
2
a
: ornately and showily phrased or expressed
… the writing often descends into the purple prose of a besotted fan.Stephen Holden
… Rice is a first-rate writer. There are no purple patches in this narrative, and no attempts to sermonize.Lawrence S. Cunningham
b
: marked by profanity
His language in public is so purple they had to stop broadcasting the meetings of the city council.Newsweek
3
US politics : having roughly equal levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates or policies
… a blue candidate trying to swipe a red seat in a purple state.Don Rollins
… as the race pulled tighter than Paris Hilton's jeans, Kerry volunteers flooded the purple states to energize their voters—tens of thousands of them newly registered.Michelle Cottle
compare blue sense 9, red sense 5
4
dated : regal, imperial

purple

2 of 3

noun

1
a(1)
: cloth dyed purple
(2)
: a garment of such color
especially : a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority
b(1)
(2)
: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
c(1)
: a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura) yielding a purple dye and especially the Tyrian purple of ancient times
(2)
: a pigment or dye that colors purple
2
a
: imperial or regal rank or power
b
: high rank or station

purple

3 of 3

verb

purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce purple (audio)

transitive verb

: to make purple

intransitive verb

: to become purple

Examples of purple in a Sentence

Adjective The book contains a few purple passages. Her writing was full of purple prose.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
It’s covered in eucalyptus leaves, plus pink, yellow, purple, and white flowers. Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Tally the Cat with Bunny Ears Squishmallow The special Easter version of Tally the Cat wears a headband with white and purple bunny ears. Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 Fashion darling Zendaya arrived in a marvelous deep purple Armani Privé gown styled by Law Roach, her look screamed old Hollywood, but it was injected with a modern energy. Gabrielle Union and her stylist Thomas Christos had other ideas for her red carpet appearance. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Mar. 2024 For all the ways Wyoming is unusual — roughly 600,000 residents, spread across a vast expanse of mountains, high plains and moon-like outcroppings — its recent politics turn out to resemble other red and purple states. Kate Zernike, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 In a 1908 rally over 300,000 protesters wore the color white in London’s Hyde Park, the same year the colors white purple and golden yellow would come to represent the movement. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 The Gunners are currently enjoying a purple patch of form in front of goal and have now scored 31 goals in a run of seven consecutive league wins since the New Year. Ben Church, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 The purple district straddling the San Diego-Orange County line has become a battleground in recent years, but Levin has won three straight elections despite a big GOP push to move him out. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 Last summer a Messi mural in Miami was defaced with purple paint (Orlando City color). Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
The 11 Best Under-Bed Storage Solutions of 2024, According to Our Testing 05 of 19 Lovely Lavender This blend of pink and purple is perfect for bedroom colors that will stay current as your child grows up. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2024 Oscar winner Marlee Matlin matched in purple with her son, Tyler Grandalski, and singer Andrea Bocelli sported matching black tuxedos with his son Matteo. Kristina Behr, Parents, 11 Mar. 2024 Matt Bomer in Brunello Cucinelli Traditional tuxedos were surprisingly abundant, but perhaps no one did ultra-classic style better than Matt Bomer, whose custom Brunello Cucinelli velvet tuxedo jacket actually was not black, but a shade of rich, deep purple, worn with black tuxedo trousers. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 A lot of the young men emulated boy-band stars, with long hair often dyed gray, blue, or purple. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 The display garden explodes with bearded and beardless irises in rare colors like pale blue, copper, deep burgundy, and pale peach accented with bright orange and deep purple. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 This creamier take on magenta has a hint of purple to create a unique fusion for your nails. Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024 Torres served as chair of the California Democratic Party from 1996 to 2009, when the state electorate was transforming from purple to deep blue. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The Zia Records tent had even more merch, including CDs, plenty of vinyl and Zia Records shirts, hats and tote bags in classic Diamondbacks purple and teal. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
The issue causes the lights to transition from white to purple over time. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024 After exiting the stage for a handful of minutes, escorted by panicked staff, Malone returned to finish his performance – purpled sternum and all. 5. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 8 Dec. 2023 Sloe berries, purpled and clustered on blackthorn, their crushed velvet skin midnight after a summer of green. Lottie Hazell, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023 His eyes, blank and fierce, peered from under thick folds of heavy, purpled skin. Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023 Color indicates distance from Earth, ranging from yellow on the near side of the slice to purple on the far side. Jordan Rice, Discover Magazine, 15 July 2016 The upper layer appears red to green in color while the underlying layer appears cyan to purple in color. Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2012 As the sky turns from orange to pink to purple, the world is bathed in a peaceful tranquility. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023 This pick changes from gray to purple to green in different lighting. Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English purpel, alteration of purper, from Old English purpuran of purple, genitive of purpure purple color, from Latin purpura, from Greek porphyra

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of purple was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near purple

Cite this Entry

“Purple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purple. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

purple

1 of 3 adjective
pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl How to pronounce purple (audio)
purpler -p(ə-)lər How to pronounce purple (audio) ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst How to pronounce purple (audio)
: of the color purple

purple

2 of 3 noun
: a color midway between red and blue

purple

3 of 3 verb
purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce purple (audio)
: to turn purple

Medical Definition

purple

1 of 2 adjective
pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl How to pronounce purple (audio)
purpler -p(ə-)lər How to pronounce purple (audio) ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst How to pronounce purple (audio)
: of the color purple

purple

2 of 2 noun
1
: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
2
: a pigment or dye that colors purple see visual purple

More from Merriam-Webster on purple

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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