colourless

colourless — adjective

1. If a liquid, gas, or other substance is colourless, it shows no colour in its ap

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

If a liquid, gas, or other substance is colourless, it shows no colour in its appearance — clear water and clean air are everyday examples; when describing a person's face, the word means extremely pale, usually because of fear, shock, or illness.

Example

The liquid was completely colourless, so the scientist could not tell which chemical it was.

colourless liquid — literal use with substances

Aiko's face turned colourless when she heard the terrible news about the earthquake.

face turns colourless — describing sudden paleness

Common collocations
  • colourless liquid
  • colourless gas
  • colourless face
  • turn colourless
  • go colourless
  • completely colourless
Synonyms
  • transparent

    focuses on being see-through rather than lacking colour

  • clear

    can also mean free of cloudiness or impurities

  • pale

    still has some colour but very faint; less extreme than colourless

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + colourless

turn/go + colourless

Usage Note

Frequently describes liquids, gases, and other physical substances. When describing a person's complexion, 'turned colourless' or 'went colourless' is the typical collocation, often following a sudden shock or illness.

Common Mistakes

He wore a colourless shirt to work.
He wore a plain white shirt to work.
'colourless' is rarely used for ordinary clothing; 'plain' or 'white' are more natural.

2. If a person, event, piece of writing, or place is colourless, it is dull and uni

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

If a person, event, piece of writing, or place is colourless, it is dull and uninteresting — completely lacking any quality that would make someone feel engaged, excited, or curious.

Example

The manager's colourless speech put most of the staff to sleep before lunch.

colourless speech — describing dull public speaking

Beatriz found the film colourless and turned it off after twenty minutes.

find + noun + colourless — opinion structure

Common collocations
  • colourless speech
  • colourless personality
  • colourless writing
  • colourless performance
  • colourless description
Synonyms
  • dull

    very similar meaning; slightly more common in everyday speech

  • bland

    suggests lack of strong character, especially for food or personality

  • uninteresting

    more direct and literal; less expressive than colourless

Antonyms
  • colourful

    full of interest and variety; the direct figurative opposite

  • lively

    full of energy and excitement

  • exciting

    causing strong interest or enthusiasm

Grammar Patterns

be + colourless

find + noun + colourless

Usage Note

Typically describes speeches, writing, performances, personalities, or cultural events. The word implies a complete absence of engaging qualities rather than simply being mildly boring. Common in reviews and critical opinions.

Common Mistakes

The party was colourless, but I stayed anyway.
The party was colourless, so I left early.
'colourless' means so dull that it is actively off-putting; it does not mean merely average.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Colourless, transparent, clear, and pale all relate to the absence or weakness of colour, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Colourless' means having no colour at all — it is the most absolute term and is commonly used for gases, liquids, and someone's complexion after shock. 'Transparent' focuses on the ability to see through something: a glass can be both colourless and transparent, but a coloured window can also be transparent. 'Clear' is broader: it can mean free of cloudiness (clear water), unobstructed (clear sky), or easy to understand (clear instructions); it does not guarantee the absence of colour. 'Pale' means light in colour rather than colourless — a pale shirt is still beige or blue, just faint. For everyday use, choose 'colourless' when you mean the complete absence of colour (e.g., 'the colourless gas'), 'clear' for liquids you can see through ('the water looked clear'), and 'pale' for something that retains a hint of colour ('a pale pink dress').

transparent ↗clear ↗pale ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed by combining 'colour' (from Old French 'colour', from Latin 'color', meaning hue or appearance) with the suffix '-less' (from Old English '-leas', meaning without or lacking). The word entered English in the late 1300s with the literal meaning of having no colour, and its figurative meaning — lacking interest or character — developed in the mid-1800s.