primary colour

noun

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

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

Similar
primary color
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Meanings

nounprimary colour (plural primary colours)

plural primary colours · alternative US primary color

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

    Red, blue and green are additive primary colours.

    1 more example

    Magenta, yellow and cyan are subtractive primary colours.

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar
primary color
Broader
colorcolourcoloring
Also see
primary colorprimitive colour

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

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

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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