off-white

noun

Any pale colour that is almost white.

Similar
whitishachromaticneutralboneivorypearl
OriginEnglish white ← Middle English whit ← Old English hwīt →
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Meanings

nounoff-white (countable and uncountable, plural off-whites)

plural off-whites · alternative off white

  1. countableuncountableAny pale colour that is almost white.

    Got a Chevy, off white, same color Lois Griffin

    2021, “mind your business”, in shut the fuck up talking to me (comedy hip-hop), performed by Zack Fox, United States
adjectiveoff-white (not comparable)

alternative off white

  1. not comparableOf a very pale colour that is almost white.

    The ceiling panels are in off-white eggshell semi-matt finish.

    1959 January 28, “Single-Unit Diesel Railcars for the Western Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 57

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveof something having a color tending toward white

Similar
whitishachromaticneutral

nouna shade of white the color of bleached bones

Similar
boneivorypearl
Broader
whitewhiteness
Also see
boneivorypearlwhitish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishoff-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱweyt-
  3. Proto-Germanic*hwītaz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*hwīt
  5. Old Englishhwīt
  6. Middle Englishwhit
  7. Englishwhite
  8. Englishoff-white

From off- + white.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian възбя́л
  • възбя́л (văzbjál)of a very pale colour that is almost white
Chinese Mandarin 灰白色
  • 灰白色very pale colour that is almost white
Dutch gebroken wit, vuilwit
  • gebroken witvery pale colour that is almost white
  • vuilwitvery pale colour that is almost white
  • vuilwitof a very pale colour that is almost white
Finnish luonnonvalkoinen, likaisenvalkoinen
  • luonnonvalkoinenvery pale colour that is almost white
  • likaisenvalkoinenvery pale colour that is almost white
  • murrettu valkoinenvery pale colour that is almost white
  • kimovery pale colour that is almost white
  • luonnonvalkoinenof a very pale colour that is almost white
  • likaisenvalkoinenof a very pale colour that is almost white
  • murrettu valkoinenof a very pale colour that is almost white
  • kimoof a very pale colour that is almost white
French blanc cassé, blanc cassé
  • blanc cassévery pale colour that is almost white
  • blanc casséof a very pale colour that is almost white
Greek υπόλευκος
  • υπόλευκος (ypólefkos)of a very pale colour that is almost white
Hungarian tört fehér
  • tört fehérvery pale colour that is almost white
Polish złamana biel, białawy
  • złamana bielvery pale colour that is almost white
  • białawyof a very pale colour that is almost white
Romanian alburiu, alburiu
  • alburiuvery pale colour that is almost white
  • alburiuof a very pale colour that is almost white
  • alburieof a very pale colour that is almost white
Spanish blanco apagado, blanco roto
  • blanco apagadovery pale colour that is almost white
  • blanco rotovery pale colour that is almost white
  • blanco apagadoof a very pale colour that is almost white
  • blanco rotoof a very pale colour that is almost white
Swedish benvitt, benvit
  • benvittvery pale colour that is almost white
  • benvitof a very pale colour that is almost white
Urdu بادامی
  • بادامی (bādāmi)very pale colour that is almost white
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: off-white on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.