Meanings
nounlocal color (uncountable)
alternative local colour
- uncountableAspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities; the collective customs, mannerisms, fashions, artwork, accents or traditions of an area.
We would like to have it illustrated by Mr. Tortoni, some of whose work you may have seen, and would be glad to know whether he may call upon you in order to acquaint himself with the local colour of your neighbourhood.
1917, Christopher Morley, chapter 1, in Parnassus on Wheels, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, →OCLC, page 8
Translations
Finnish paikallisväri
- paikallisväriaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
French couleur locale
- couleur localeaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
German Lokalkolorit
- Lokalkoloritaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Japanese 地域色
- 地域色 (chiikishoku)aspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Romanian culoare locală
- culoare localăaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Russian ме́стный колори́т
- ме́стный колори́т (méstnyj kolorít)aspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Spanish tipismo
- tipismoaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Vietnamese bản sắc địa phương
- bản sắc địa phươngaspects of a location that distinguish it from neighboring communities
Cite this entry
APA
local color. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/local%20color
MLA
“local color.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/local%20color. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “local color,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/local%20color.
Source: local color on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.