discolour

discolour — verb

1. when a surface, material, or object discolours, or when something discolours it,

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

when a surface, material, or object discolours, or when something discolours it, the original colour changes to a less attractive shade because of wear, sunlight, heat, or chemical exposure

Example

Daichi noticed that the old poster had discoloured badly behind the glass frame.

intransitive: material + had discoloured + adverbial (badly / location)

Leaving the kitchen knife in salt water will discolour the blade within a few hours.

transitive: [exposure] + will discolour + [object]

Common collocations
  • discolour badly
  • discolour completely
  • discolour unevenly
  • discolour from sunlight
  • discolour from age
  • discolour from water damage
  • discolour from heat
  • discolour with age
  • teeth discolour
  • fabric discolours
  • paint discolours
  • metal discolours
  • paper discolours
  • plastic discolours
Synonyms
  • fade

    focuses on gradual loss of colour, especially from light exposure; more neutral in tone than discolour

  • tarnish

    limited to metal surfaces, especially oxidation of silver or brass

  • stain

    colour change caused by an external substance (ink, food, dirt) penetrating the surface

  • yellow

    a specific type of discolouration where paper, plastic, or fabric turns yellow with age

Antonyms
  • preserve

    to keep the original colour from changing

  • restore

    to bring back the original colour after it has been lost

Grammar Patterns

discolour

discolour + noun phrase

be discoloured by + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used in the passive (be / get discoloured) when describing a result rather than a cause. The agent is typically introduced by from, not by: 'discoloured from sunlight' NOT 'discoloured by sunlight'. Do not use this word for natural or seasonal colour changes such as leaves turning in autumn — discolour always implies that the change is unwanted or unattractive.

Common Mistakes

The leaves discoloured beautifully in autumn.
The leaves changed colour beautifully in autumn.
discolour always carries a negative meaning; it is not a neutral word for colour change.
The photo was discoloured by the sun.
The photo was discoloured from the sun.
with passive, the cause is best introduced by from, not by.

Word family

  • discolouration
    nounB2
  • discoloured
    adjectiveB2
  • discolor
    verbB2
  • discoloration
    nounB2
  • discolored
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe unwanted colour changes, but each is narrower than discolour. Fade focuses on gradual loss of pigment, typically from sunlight — a white T-shirt fades from blue, but it does not 'discolour' unless the result looks dingy. Tarnish is restricted to metal surfaces: silver tarnishes when it reacts with air. Stain always involves an outside substance (coffee, ink, grass) marking the surface. Yellow is a specific colour shift found in old paper, plastic, or fabric. If you are unsure which word fits, discolour is the safest general choice — it covers fading, staining, tarnishing, and yellowing all at once.

fade ↗tarnishstain ↗yellow ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with age
  • from exposure to light
  • over time

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Discolour entered English in the late 1300s from Old French descolorer, which was built from the Latin prefix dis- (meaning 'away' or 'reversal') and color ('colour'). So the original sense — 'to take the colour away from something' — has stayed remarkably close to today's meaning.