Usage of Colored
The adjective meanings of colored relating to race were formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century. Attitudes toward them had changed, however, by the 1960s. Although colored is still occasionally used in self-reference by and between Black people, the adjective as used by others is offensive; the terms Black and African American are preferred. Colored remains in the full name of the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), a civil rights organization founded in the early 20th century.
Usage of Colored
The noun colored was formerly in common and widespread use well into the 20th century, although attitudes toward it had changed by the 1960s. In most nonhistorical contexts, this use of colored is now considered unacceptable.
Examples of colored in a Sentence
Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026
The vehicle is described as a gray or silver colored sedan.
—Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Offering pieces from bed frames to dining tables, each Greyson item has the clean lines, sliding doors, architectural style, and acorn-colored finishes often associated with midcentury modern design.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Dec. 2025
For a special treat, hire a charter and head out to Queen Bess Island to see thousands of nesting brown pelicans, as well as tri-colored herons, great egrets, royal terns, and the elusive roseate spoonbill.
—Kristy Christiansen, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
Around her name, the sweater had knit vines with different colored flowers on it.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
According to Rockland/Westchester Journal News, a part of the USA TODAY Network, wearing different-colored underwear for your New Year's wishes is common in many countries, including Spain, Latin America, and Italy, where the tradition is said to have originated.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Look for it above the eastern horizon after dark, blazing like a cream-colored beacon.
—Dean Regas, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Dec. 2025
There’s that field and all, but smaller, kinda curved and colored red and far away.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colored. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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