polychromatic

pol·y·chro·mat·ic
P3O1L1Y4C3H4R1O1M3A1T1I1C3
US/ˌpɑlikɹəˈmætɪk/UK/ˌpɒlikɹəʊˈmætɪk/

adjective

Showing a variety, or a change, of colours; having many colours.

Similar
see at polychromemotleymulticoloredpolyhuedpolychromepolychromiccoloredcoloured
Opposite
monochromatic
OriginEnglish chromatic ← Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s) ← Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús →
RareScrabble 27
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivepolychromatic (not comparable)
  1. not comparableShowing a variety, or a change, of colours; having many colours.

    With our water goggles adjusted we gazed at the fishes displaying their polychromatic scales to the sea world, as, with true Puka-Pukan languor, they finned from coral to coral.

    1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 76
    1 more example

    As I rounded the corner nearest my hotel the Afrite coachman of the polychromatic, nonpareil coat seized me, swung open the dungeony door of his peripatetic sarcophagus, flirted his feather duster and began his ritual: […]

    1910, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “(please specify the story)”, in Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC

    Synonyms: see at polychrome, motley

  2. not comparablenatural sciencesComposed of more than one wavelength.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveShowing a variety, or a change, of colours; having many colours.

Similar
see at polychromemotley
Similar
multicoloredpolyhued
Opposite
monochromatic

More synonyms by meaning

adjective(of light or other electromagnetic radiation) composed of more than one wavelength

Opposite
monochromatic

adjectivehaving or exhibiting many colors

Similar
polychromepolychromiccoloredcolouredcolorful
Also see
aurora-coloredcolorfulcolorificdiscoloredmotleymultichromaticmulticolormulticoloredmulticolorousmultihuedparticolouredpolychromatepolychromepolychromedpolychromicpolyhuedprismaticrainbowrainbow-coloredvariegated

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*polh₁ús
  3. Ancient Greekπολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)
  4. Englishpoly-
  5. Englishchromatic
  6. Englishpolychromatic

From poly- + chromatic.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan policrom, policromàtic
  • policromshowing a variety of colours
  • policromàticshowing a variety of colours
German polychrom, bunt
  • polychromshowing a variety of colours
  • buntshowing a variety of colours
  • farbigshowing a variety of colours
  • vielfarbigshowing a variety of colours
Irish polacrómatach
  • polacrómatachshowing a variety of colours
Portuguese policromo, policromático
  • policromoshowing a variety of colours
  • policromáticoshowing a variety of colours
Romanian policromatic
  • policromaticshowing a variety of colours
Spanish policromo
  • policromoshowing a variety of colours
Tagalog damkulayin
  • damkulayinshowing a variety of colours
Turkish çok renkli
  • çok renklishowing a variety of colours
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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