pastel Definition
pas·tel (pas tel′)
noun
- ground coloring matter mixed with gum and formed into a crayon
- such a crayon
- a picture drawn with such crayons
- drawing with pastels as an art form or medium
- a soft, pale shade of any color
Etymology: Fr < It pastello < VL *pastellum, dim. of LL pasta, paste
adjective
- soft and pale: said of colors
- of pastel
- drawn with pastels
pastel Related Forms
pas·tel·ist noun or pas·tel′·listpas tel′ist, pas′tel ist
pastel Synonyms
pastel
n.
pastel Usage Examples
Preposition: on
- velour: Mitzi Lovely Mitzi's painting is painted in soft pastels on velour.
- paper: Have your pet beautifully rendered in pastels on fine art paper.
Adjective modifier
- soft: They are not crayons, oil pastels or soft pastels.
- colored: Colored pastel surfaces can be made by tinting the ground with a few drops of paint.
- contemporary: For a more contemporary design pastel pink or peach can be used to match your wedding colors.
- delicate: Some of the joys of ascorbic acid are that it produces a range of color from delicate pastels to vivid colors of striking intensity.
- pale: The color scheme is pale pastel interspersed with shots of color.
Converse of object
- use: They used pastels over the top of the prints to add more detail.
- include: New auction records included a pastel by Paula Rego, which sold for £ 117,600 against an estimate of £ 50,000 to £ 70,000.
- make: More successful was the hunt for an appropriate postcard from which to make the pastel that is seen behind Jeremy in the picture.
Modifying Another Word
pretty: With it's steep wooded valleys, and pretty pastel houses clinging to the hillsides, Dartmouth boasts the prettiest town in England.
Modifies a noun
- shade: The mount was often a pastel shade, with pattern.
- pencil: Often I use a small range of pastel pencils carefully to work the eyes up.
- hue: Vintage Wine is a lovely and very stunning multi colored tomato variety with a peculiar pastel hue.
- portrait: You can imagine how much he hated sitting for this pastel portrait.
- drawing: The students did pastel drawings of the shells with artistic intent.
- color: The pastel colors look fabulous in a garden setting.
Noun used with modifier
Browse dictionary entries near pastel
- ‹ pasteboard
- ‹ paste-up
- ‹ paste
- ‹ pasta
- ‹ past perfect
- ‹ past participle
- ‹ past master
- ‹ past
- ‹ Passy
- ‹ Password Cache
- paster ›
- pastern ›
- Pasternak ›
- Pasternak, Boris ›
- Pasteur ›
- Pasteur, Louis ›
- Pasteur treatment ›
- pasteurism ›
- pasteurization ›
- pasteurize ›

