Meanings
present singular third person shows one's true colors · participle present showing one's true colors · past showed one's true colors · participle past shown one's true colors · US also participle past showed one's true colors · alternative show one's true colours
- idiomaticinformalTo reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.
Synonyms: break cover, show one's true stripes
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.
Origin
Nautical origin. The word colors (or colours) refers to the flag or ensign which every ship is obliged to fly at sea. It was once a common deception of pirates to “sail under false colours” and fly a friendly flag in order to get within close range of potential targets (other ships) without exciting suspicion. Only when the pirate ship reached close quarters would it unfurl its true colours.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 露出真面目
- 露出真面目 (lùchū zhēnmiànmù)to reveal how one really is
Czech vybarvit, odhalit své ledví
- vybarvitto reveal how one really is
- odhalit své ledvíto reveal how one really is
Finnish näyttää todellinen karvansa
- näyttää todellinen karvansato reveal how one really is
French se montrer sous son vrai jour, montrer son vrai visage
- se montrer sous son vrai jourto reveal how one really is
- montrer son vrai visageto reveal how one really is
German Farbe bekennen, sein wahres Gesicht zeigen
- Farbe bekennento reveal how one really is
- sein wahres Gesicht zeigento reveal how one really is
Hungarian kimutatja a foga fehérjét, megmutatja valódi arcát
- kimutatja a foga fehérjétto reveal how one really is
- megmutatja valódi arcátto reveal how one really is
- színt vallto reveal how one really is
Italian mostrare il proprio vero volto
- mostrare il proprio vero voltoto reveal how one really is
Malay tunjuk belang
- tunjuk belangto reveal how one really is
Norwegian vise sin sanne natur, stikke hestehoven fram
- vise sin sanne naturto reveal how one really is
- stikke hestehoven framto reveal how one really is
Polish pokazywać prawdziwą twarz, pokazać prawdziwą twarz
- pokazywać prawdziwą twarzto reveal how one really is
- pokazać prawdziwą twarzto reveal how one really is
Portuguese mostrar sua verdadeira cara
- mostrar sua verdadeira carato reveal how one really is
Spanish mostrar su verdadera cara, mostrar sus verdaderas cartas
- mostrar su verdadera carato reveal how one really is
- mostrar sus verdaderas cartasto reveal how one really is
- mostrarse tal cual esto reveal how one really is
- vérsele las costurasto reveal how one really is
Swedish visa sitt rätta ansikte, visa sitt rätta jag
- visa sitt rätta ansikteto reveal how one really is
- visa sitt rätta jagto reveal how one really is
- visa sin sanna naturto reveal how one really is
- bekänna färgto reveal how one really is
Thai ออกลาย, เผยธาตุแท้
- ออกลาย (ɔ̀ɔk-laai)to reveal how one really is
- เผยธาตุแท้ (pə̌əi-tâat-tɛ́ɛ)to reveal how one really is
- แสดงกำพืด (sà-dɛɛng-gam-pʉ̂ʉt)to reveal how one really is
Cite this entry
show one's true colors. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show%20one's%20true%20colors
“show one's true colors.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show%20one's%20true%20colors. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “show one's true colors,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show%20one's%20true%20colors.
Source: show one's true colors on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.