brown-haired

brown-haired — adjective

1. with hair that is brown in colour

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

with hair that is brown in colour

Example

The brown-haired boy dropped his lunch box by the school gate.

brown-haired + person noun

At the door stood a brown-haired man with snow on his coat.

Common collocations
  • brown-haired boy
  • brown-haired girl
  • brown-haired man
  • brown-haired child
Synonyms
  • dark-haired

    broader; it can include black hair as well as brown hair

  • brunette

    more often used for a woman or girl, and often as a noun

  • chestnut-haired

    more specific and often suggests a warmer reddish brown shade

Antonyms
  • blond-haired

    has light yellow hair instead of brown hair

  • red-haired

    has red or orange hair rather than brown hair

Grammar Patterns

a brown-haired boy

be brown-haired

Usage Note

Most often used before a noun, but it can also follow be when describing a person's appearance.

Common Mistakes

She has brown-haired.
She is brown-haired.' / 'She has brown hair.
Use brown-haired as an adjective, not after have.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, brown-haired is a plain way to describe someone whose hair is brown. Dark-haired is broader, because it may describe black hair as well as deep brown hair. Brunette is close in meaning, but it is used more often for women and girls, and it can also be a noun. Chestnut-haired is more literary and points to a warm red-brown shade, not just any brown hair. In a police notice, a missing child may be described as brown-haired because the wording is clear and neutral. In a novel, a writer may choose chestnut-haired to create a richer picture.

dark-haired ↗brunette ↗chestnut-haired

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Brown-haired is an English compound made from brown and haired. It follows the same pattern as words such as blue-eyed and long-haired, combining a colour or feature with a body-part adjective to describe appearance. The ending haired comes from hair with -ed, meaning 'having this kind of hair'.