colorful

comparative more colorful · superlative most colorful · alternative Commonwealth colourful

1. USPossessing prominent and varied colors.

   a colourful display of flowers

   3 more examples

   It was a colourful vase with red and white hoops on the lid, and red bands above and below the main frieze. These bands also carry a metope pattern in white of triple lines and blobs, which can just be distinguished on the photographs.

   1895, The Annual of the British School at Athens

   [Sen. John Curtis] gives colorful socks to other lawmakers on their birthdays.

   2025 January 28, Cameron Joseph, “Meet Mitt Romney’s replacement – who could make or break the Trump agenda”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2025

   Blue and gold macaws are not native to Caracas. But over the past two decades their numbers in Venezuela's capital have skyrocketed, with hundreds of these birds now flying freely across the city, and dazzling locals with their colorful feathers and peculiar calls.

   2026 April 18, Manuel Rueda, “Caracas' iconic macaws threatened by vanishing palm trees”, in National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio

   Synonyms: motley

2. USInteresting, multifaceted, energetic, distinctive.

   He had a colourful career in the music industry.

   1 more example

   One of the most colourful people in motor racing, he writes in a colourful manner.

   1895, H. Walter Staner, Henry Sturmey, The Autocar

3. USeuphemisticProfane, obscene, offensive (usually in the phrase colourful language).

   Hussain celebrated reaching his ton with a gesture towards the media centre, pointing to the number three on the back of his shirt and offering some colourful language.

   2002 July 14, “Did Hussain go too far?”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 28 Feb 2019