Illustration of violet
- violet 1a
violet
noun
vi·o·let
ˈvī-(ə-)lət 
1
a
: any of a genus (Viola of the family Violaceae, the violet family) of chiefly herbs with alternate stipulate leaves and showy flowers in spring and often cleistogamous flowers in summer
especially
: one with smaller usually solid-colored flowers as distinguished from the usually larger-flowered violas and pansies
b
: any of several plants of genera other than that of the violet compare dogtooth violet
2
: any of a group of colors of reddish-blue hue, low lightness, and medium saturation
Examples of violet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The effect is an otherworldly terrestrial landscape that hints at underwater environments like nearly-violet bioluminescence.
—
Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This perennial’s flowers are typically yellow in the center and have rays in shades of purple, violet, lavender, blue, pink, red, and white.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
The northern lights are back for another jaw-dropping performance, sweeping across the night sky with their electric hues of green, pink and stellar flashes of violet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
The company had traditionally hesitated to include browns in its product range, but in her first year, after nixing the violet, Waight Keller introduced mocha brown, chocolaty brown, and a winey brown that looked like it had been poured from a decanter.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for violet
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This perennial’s flowers are typically yellow in the center and have rays in shades of purple, violet, lavender, blue, pink, red, and white.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
The northern lights are back for another jaw-dropping performance, sweeping across the night sky with their electric hues of green, pink and stellar flashes of violet.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
The company had traditionally hesitated to include browns in its product range, but in her first year, after nixing the violet, Waight Keller introduced mocha brown, chocolaty brown, and a winey brown that looked like it had been poured from a decanter.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for violet
Cite this Entry
“Violet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violet. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
violet
noun
vi·o·let
ˈvī-ə-lət
1
a
: any of a genus of mostly herbs that often produce showy fragrant flowers in the spring and small closed self-pollinated flowers without petals in the summer
b
: any of several plants of other genera compare dogtooth violet
2
: a reddish blue
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share