primary color

noun

Any of three colors which, when added to or subtracted from others in different amounts, can generate all other colors

“Red, blue and green are additive primary colors.”

Similar
primary colour
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Meanings

nounprimary color (plural primary colors)

plural primary colors · alternative UK primary colour

  1. Any of three colors which, when added to or subtracted from others in different amounts, can generate all other colors

    Red, blue and green are additive primary colors.

    1 more example

    Magenta, yellow and cyan are subtractive primary colors.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounany of three colors from which all others can be obtained by mixing

Similar
primary colour
Broader
colorcolourcoloring
Also see
primary colour

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan color primari
  • color primariany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Chinese Mandarin 原色, 基色
  • 原色 (yuánsè)any of three colors which can generate all other colors
  • 基色 (jīsè)any of three colors which can generate all other colors
Finnish pääväri
  • pääväriany of three colors which can generate all other colors
French couleur primaire
  • couleur primaireany of three colors which can generate all other colors
German Grundfarbe, Primärfarbe
  • Grundfarbeany of three colors which can generate all other colors
  • Primärfarbeany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Greek βασικό χρώμα
  • βασικό χρώμα (vasikó chróma)any of three colors which can generate all other colors
Japanese 原色
  • 原色 (genshoku)any of three colors which can generate all other colors
Korean 원색
  • 원색 (wonsaek)any of three colors which can generate all other colors
Māori tae mātāmua
  • tae mātāmuaany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Polish barwa podstawowa
  • barwa podstawowaany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Romanian culoare primară, culoare fundamentală
  • culoare primarăany of three colors which can generate all other colors
  • culoare fundamentalăany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Spanish color primario
  • color primarioany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Tagalog pangunahing kulay
  • pangunahing kulayany of three colors which can generate all other colors
Cite this entry
APA

primary color. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/primary%20color

MLA

“primary color.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/primary%20color. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “primary color,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/primary%20color.

Source: primary color on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.