hyperbolic colour

noun

The type of colour perceived when a visual afterimage is viewed on a background of the same colour, resulting in a purer perception of that colour than is ordinarily possible to perceive; usually achieved by staring at a shape in one colour (e.g. cyan) for several seconds, and then immediately looking at a background in the opposite colour (e.g. orange), which is the same colour as the resultant afterimage.

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Meanings

nounhyperbolic colour (plural hyperbolic colours)

plural hyperbolic colours

  1. The type of colour perceived when a visual afterimage is viewed on a background of the same colour, resulting in a purer perception of that colour than is ordinarily possible to perceive; usually achieved by staring at a shape in one colour (e.g. cyan) for several seconds, and then immediately looking at a background in the opposite colour (e.g. orange), which is the same colour as the resultant afterimage.

Origin

From hyperbolic + colour.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hyperbolic colour. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbolic%20colour

MLA

“hyperbolic colour.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbolic%20colour. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hyperbolic colour,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperbolic%20colour.

Source: hyperbolic colour on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.