coloration
noun
col·or·a·tion
ˌkə-lə-ˈrā-shən 
1
2
a
: characteristic quality
The newspapers … took on the former coloration of the magazines …—
L. B. Seltzer
L. B. Seltzer
b
: aspect suggesting an attitude
… the chameleon talent for taking on the intellectual coloration of whatever idea he happened to fasten onto.—Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg3
: subtle variation of intensity or quality of tone
a wide range of coloration from the orchestra
Examples of coloration in a Sentence
the coloration of a flower
the bright yellow coloration of the curtains
wine glasses with circle designs and blue and green colorations
He attempted to give a religious coloration to the war.
Recent Examples on the Web
The researchers focused on true tessellations, in which geometric tiles are discrete structural pieces separated by softer seams, rather than purely visual or hollow patterns such as animal coloration or honeycombs.
—Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2026
Seamless stitching and different coloration on the Creature’s body reflect how Victor has pieced it together from body parts found on the battlefield.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Jan. 2026
Words take a lot of their semantic coloration from the words around them.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The gold coloration of the entire presentation is a very purposeful choice.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coloration
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Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2026
Seamless stitching and different coloration on the Creature’s body reflect how Victor has pieced it together from body parts found on the battlefield.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Jan. 2026
Words take a lot of their semantic coloration from the words around them.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The gold coloration of the entire presentation is a very purposeful choice.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coloration
Cite this Entry
“Coloration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coloration. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
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