reddish

reddish — adjective

1. describes a colour that is like red but does not have a strong or full red appea

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

describes a colour that is like red but does not have a strong or full red appearance; it is close to red but lighter or less bright in shade.

Example

The sunset turned the sky a soft reddish colour that stretched across the horizon.

reddish + noun for describing a colour shade

Anong noticed her friend's cheeks had a reddish glow after running in the cold wind.

collocation: reddish glow on skin

Common collocations
  • reddish brown
  • reddish orange
  • reddish glow
  • reddish tint
  • reddish hair
  • reddish pink
  • reddish gold
  • reddish purple
Synonyms
  • pinkish

    closer to pink than to red, usually lighter and warmer

  • rosy

    warmer and more attractive in tone, often used for complexion or light

  • ruddy

    stronger and more intense reddish colour, often describing a healthy or weathered complexion

Antonyms
  • greenish

    the opposite side of the colour spectrum from red

Grammar Patterns

reddish + noun

reddish + colour word

Usage Note

Reddish is very often used before another colour word (e.g. 'reddish brown', 'reddish gold') to describe a shade that is close to red. It can also describe skin tone in the context of sunburn, exertion, or embarrassment.

Common Mistakes

The sky is reddish colour.
The sky is a reddish colour.
'reddish' is an adjective and needs a determiner before the noun it describes.
She painted the wall reddish red.
She painted the wall reddish orange.
'reddish' already means 'close to red', so 'reddish red' is confusing. Use 'reddish' with a different colour.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe colours close to red, but they differ in tone, intensity, and typical use. Reddish is neutral and technical — it simply means 'somewhat red' and is often combined with another colour (e.g. reddish brown). Pinkish is lighter and leans toward pink rather than red; it often describes floral or cosmetic tones. Rosy has a warmer, more attractive feel — people talk about 'rosy cheeks' or 'a rosy sunset' with positive associations. Ruddy is stronger and earthier, used for a face reddened by sun or wind (e.g. 'the farmer's ruddy complexion'). Red-tinged is less common but useful when describing an object that has only a trace of red (e.g. 'red-tinged clouds'). For everyday description of a colour that is close to red, 'reddish' is the safest and most widely understood choice.

reddish ↗pinkishrosy ↗ruddyred-tinged

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • slightly reddish
  • faintly reddish
  • somewhat reddish
  • vaguely reddish

Phrases

  • reddish in colour
  • reddish in tone
  • shade of reddish

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the suffix -ish (from Old English -isc, meaning 'somewhat, tending to be') to the colour word red (from Old English read, of Germanic origin). The suffix -ish is commonly added to colour words in English to mean 'close to but not exactly that colour', as in bluish, greenish, and yellowish.