colourful

Word family

• colour
  nounA1
• colour
  verbB1
• colourfully
  adverbB2
• colourless
  adjectiveB2
• colouring
  nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all relate to strong colour but differ in focus. 'Colourful' is the broadest term, meaning simply many colours together — a colourful market stall sells items in every shade imaginable. 'Bright' describes a single colour's intensity: a bright yellow lemon. 'Vivid' goes further, suggesting the colour is so clear it almost jumps out at you — vivid red paint on a door. 'Vibrant' carries a sense of energy, as though the colour is alive — a vibrant turquoise sea. 'Gaudy' is negative, describing colours that clash or are too loud — a gaudy Hawaiian shirt. For example, a child's painting might be colourful but not gaudy if the colours work well together, while a neon sign is both bright and vivid but not necessarily colourful if it uses only one colour.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word 'colourful' is formed from 'colour' (from Latin 'color', via Old French 'colour') and the suffix '-ful', meaning 'full of'. The literal sense 'full of bright colours' dates back to the 14th century, while the figurative sense 'full of interesting variety' became common in the 19th century.