brunette

bru·nette
B3R1U1N1E1T1T1E1
US/bɹuˈnɛt/UK/bɹuːˈnɛt/

adjective

Of a brown color or tone.

CommonScrabble 10

Meanings

brunette1

adjectivebrunette (not comparable)

alternative rare brunet

  1. especiallynot comparableOf a brown color or tone.
    1. datedespeciallynot comparablestrictlyOf a dark brown color or tone.

      I originally had very dark brunette hair but I have been going gray for years. […] I have my hair colored brownette with blonde highlights.

      1985 December 10, Emily Wilkens, quoting E.T., “A New You: Coloring over the gray roots prevents ‘bald spot’ problem”, in The Star-Ledger, final edition, volume 72, number 285, Newark, N.J., →OCLC, page 78, column 1
      2 more examples

      Frosting and Tipping of your hair is for winter hi-fashion. It adds hi-lights to any brunette or brownette hair, softens the looks and adds body to the hair.

      1962 January 22, Betty Chason, “Vanity Fair”, in The News Tribune, volume 59, number 37, Fort Pierce, Fla., →OCLC, page 6, column 7

      Hey, kiddies, Christopher Reeves,^([sic]) who has dark brunette locks whilst winging through the air as “Superman,” has light brownette hair in person.

      1980 December 25, Cindy Adams, “Dr. [Joyce] Brothers moves; Tiny Tim’s new lady”, in The Sentinel-News, volume 40, number 93, Shelbyville, Ky., →OCLC, page 12-A, column 3
  2. especiallyfemininenot comparableHaving brown hair.

    Synonyms: brune

    1. datedespeciallyfemininenot comparablestrictlyHaving dark brown hair.

      And 70 per cent of American women are naturally brunette or brownette; […]

      1962 June 14, Maureen Counihan, “There Is Nothing Lovelier Than Soft Brownette Hair”, in The Lexington Herald, volume 92, number 142, Lexington, Ky., →OCLC, page 42, column 7
      2 more examples

      The survey asked for preferences in smoking and drinking, and whether they preferred blonde, brunette, or red-haired or brownette women as dates.

      1940 February 28, “Rice Owl Conducts Survey on Preferences of Men Students”, in The Houston Chronicle, home edition, volume 39, number 138, Houston, Tex., →ISSN, →OCLC, section A, page 9, column 2

      MAX FACTOR ★ HOLLYWOOD has created these luxurious Gift Sets in Color Harmony shades for blonde, brownette, brunette or red-head types. Every woman is interested in the gift which will reveal her individual loveliness.

      1940 December 7, “Gifts that will linger in Memory”, in The Australian Women’s Weekly, →ISSN, →OCLC, “The Movie World” section, page 29, column 3

      Synonyms: brune

nounbrunette (plural brunettes)

plural brunettes · alternative rare brunet

  1. A person, especially female, with brown hair.

    Brownheads or brunettes use a darker red than blondes and redheads.

    2020, Eleanore King, Glorify Yourself
    2 more examples

    And M. [Henri-François-Alphonse] Esquiros, in describing the Dutch generally, speaks of beauties both blondes and brunettes, ‘for black hair is not uncommon in the Netherlands.’ These words seem to imply that black hair does not preponderate; and, if not, there must be a marked difference between the Dutch and the English. Here again is confirmation of the opinion that the modern English are somewhat more dark-haired than the ancient Saxons.

    1866, Luke Owen Pike, “The Evidence of Physical Characteristics”, in The English and Their Origin. A Prologue to Authentic English History., London: Longmans, Green, and Co., pages 145–146

    The housekeeper, a very decorative brunette of thirty-five with a pseudo-English accent, greeted him with a mixture of grateful effusion and condescending patronage.

    1946, William Hatfield, Buffalo Jim, Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege, page 70

    Synonyms: brune

    1. datedstrictlyA person, especially female, with dark brown hair.

      I’m thankful for brunettes. And brownettes. And redettes. And blondettes.

      1965 November 25, Furman Bisher, “I’m Thankful”, in The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, final edition, volume 16, number 27, Atlanta, Ga., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2-D, column 1
      2 more examples

      FOR THE BLONDE. . . […] FOR THE BROWNETTE. . . […] FOR THE REDETTE. . . […] FOR THE BRUNETTE. . . whose coloring is accented with nationally known Barbara Gould beauty aids— […]

      1947 September 5, “Sears”, in The Kansas City Star, main edition, volume 67, number 336, Kansas City, Mo., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18, column 6

      The models were very attractive indeed (blondes, brunettes, brownettes but no redettes) but on the slim side.

      1960 January 21, John Robinson, “In This Corner”, in The Hamilton Spectator, home edition, volume CXV, number 17, Hamilton, Ont., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 31, column 6

      Synonyms: brune

Brunette2

proper nounBrunette (plural Brunettes)

plural Brunettes

  1. A surname from French.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveHaving brown hair.

Similar

adjectiveHaving dark brown hair.

Similar

nounA person, especially female, with brown hair.

Similar

nounA person, especially female, with dark brown hair.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivemarked by dark or relatively dark pigmentation of hair or skin or eyes

nouna person with dark (brown) hair

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-?
  2. Proto-Germanic*brūnaz
  3. Frankish*brūn
  4. Old Frenchbrun
  5. Old Frenchbrunet
  6. Old Frenchbrunete
  7. Frenchbrunette
  8. Englishbrunette

Borrowed from French brunette, the feminine form of brunet, from brun (“brown”). Doublet of burnet.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic امرأَة ذات شعر بني أو أسود, سمراء
  • امرأَة ذات شعر بني أو أسودhaving brown hair
  • سمراءhaving brown hair
  • سَمْرَاء (samrāʔ)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Bulgarian тъмноко́с, брюне́т
  • тъмноко́с (tămnokós)having brown hair
  • брюне́т (brjunét)a person, especially female, with brown hair
  • брюне́тка (brjunétka)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Catalan bru
  • bruhaving brown hair
Chinese Mandarin 棕髮 /棕发
  • 棕髮 /棕发 (zōngfà)having brown hair
Czech bruneta
  • brunetaa person, especially female, with brown hair
Danish mørkhåret, brunette
  • mørkhårethaving brown hair
  • brunettea person, especially female, with brown hair
Dutch brunette, brunet
  • brunettehaving brown hair
  • brunethaving brown hair
  • brunettea person, especially female, with brown hair
Estonian brünett, brünett
  • brünetthaving brown hair
  • brünetta person, especially female, with brown hair
Finnish ruskeaverikkö, tumma
  • ruskeaverikköhaving brown hair
  • tummahaving brown hair
  • tummaverikköa person, especially female, with brown hair
French brun, brune
  • brunhaving brown hair
  • brunea person, especially female, with brown hair
  • bruna person, especially female, with brown hair
German brünett, Brünette
  • brünetthaving brown hair
  • Brünettea person, especially female, with brown hair
  • Brünettera person, especially female, with brown hair
Greek καστανός, καστανή
  • καστανός (kastanós)having brown hair
  • καστανή (kastaní)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Hebrew ברונטית
  • ברונטית (brunet'it)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Irish donn donnchiabhach, bean dhonn
  • donn donnchiabhachhaving brown hair
  • bean dhonna person, especially female, with brown hair
  • cailín donna person, especially female, with brown hair
Italian castana, castana scura
  • castanahaving brown hair
  • castana scurahaving brown hair
  • brunahaving brown hair
Latvian tumšmatains, tumšmate
  • tumšmatainshaving brown hair
  • tumšmatea person, especially female, with brown hair
  • tumšmatisa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • brunetea person, especially female, with brown hair
  • brunetsa person, especially female, with brown hair
Norwegian Bokmål mørkhåret, mørkhåra
  • mørkhårethaving brown hair
  • mørkhårahaving brown hair
  • brunettea person, especially female, with brown hair
Polish szatynowy, ciemnowłosy
  • szatynowyhaving brown hair
  • ciemnowłosyhaving brown hair
  • brunetkaa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • bruneta person, especially female, with brown hair
  • brunetaa person, especially female, with brown hair
Portuguese morena, de/com cabelo castanho
  • morenahaving brown hair
  • de/com cabelo castanhohaving brown hair
  • morenaa person, especially female, with brown hair
Romanian brunetă
  • brunetăhaving brown hair
Russian темноволо́сый, шате́н m шате́нка
  • темноволо́сый (temnovolósyj)having brown hair
  • шате́н m шате́нка (šatɛ́n)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Scottish Gaelic donn
  • donnhaving brown hair
Slovak bruneta, brunetka
  • brunetaa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • brunetkaa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • bruneta person, especially female, with brown hair
Spanish castaño, moreno
  • castañohaving brown hair
  • morenohaving brown hair
  • castañoa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • castañaa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • morenoa person, especially female, with brown hair
  • morenaa person, especially female, with brown hair
Swedish brunett, mörkhårig
  • brunetthaving brown hair
  • mörkhårighaving brown hair
  • brunetta person, especially female, with brown hair
Tagalog pulahang buhok
  • pulahang buhokhaving brown hair
Turkish esmer, esmer
  • esmerhaving brown hair
  • esmera person, especially female, with brown hair
Ukrainian брюне́т, брюне́тка
  • брюне́т (brjunét)a person, especially female, with brown hair
  • брюне́тка (brjunétka)a person, especially female, with brown hair
Yiddish ברונעט, ברונעטין
  • ברונעט (brunet)having brown hair
  • ברונעטין (brunetin)a person, especially female, with brown hair
  • ברונעטקע (brunetke)a person, especially female, with brown hair
  • ברונעט (brunet)a person, especially female, with brown hair

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with brunette

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

brunette. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brunette

MLA

“brunette.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brunette. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brunette,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brunette.

Source: brunette on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.