yellow Hear it!

yellow definition

yel·low (yel′ō)

adjective

  1. of the color of gold, butter, or ripe lemons
  2. changed to a yellowish color as by age, as old paper
  3. having a yellowish pigmentation of the skin
  4. ☆ Informal cowardly; craven
  5. ☆

    Etymology: see yellow journalism

    cheaply sensational: said of certain newspapers

Etymology: ME yelwe < OE geolu, akin to Ger gelb < IE base *ĝhel-, to gleam, yellow, green, blue > Gr cholos, gall, L helvus, tawny

noun

  1. a yellow color; color lying between orange and green in the color spectrum
  2. a pigment or dye that is yellow or capable of producing yellow
  3. the yolk of an egg
  4. any of several fungous or viral diseases of plants, causing yellowing of the leaves, stunting of growth, etc.
  5. jaundice, esp. in farm animals

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to make or become yellow

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

yellow Synonyms

yellow

n.

  1. A color

    Hues of yellow include: cream, ivory, old ivory, ivory-yellow, orange-yellow, saffron, jasmine, tawny, sand, gold, sallow, buff, straw, flaxen, alizarin yellow, anilin yellow, lemon yellow, mustard yellow, canary yellow, brilliant yellow, chrome yellow, Dutch pink-yellow, Dutch yellow, gamboge yellow, golden yellow, Imperial yellow, platinum yellow, Manchester yellow or naphthol yellow, yellow carmine, yellow lake, yellow madder, yellow ocher;

  2. Cowardly

    tricky, deceitful, low, cringing, sneaking, white-livered, lily-livered, chicken, craven, treacherous; see also cowardly 1, 2, mean 1.

  3. Sensational; said especially of some newspapers

    lurid, scandal-mongering, muckraking, tabloid, warmongering, chauvinistic, unethical, unprincipled, sexy*, lowbrow*; see also exciting, lewd 1, 2, offensive 2, sensational.


yellow

modif.

Having a yellowish color

yellowish, golden, jaundiced-looking; see yellown.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

yellow Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • paint: They are copies of those sold in souvenir shops in Lourdes, but they have been painted an acidic yellow.

Adjective modifier

  • clouded: You might have to wait until Autumn to see one of the loveliest migrant butterflies, the clouded yellows, the Monarch.

Modifies a noun

  • fever: In the year 1871 the memorable epidemic of yellow fever broke out at Buenos Ayres.

Used with adjective complement

  • turn: Autumn - Maple leaves turning yellow in the autumn sunshine.

Noun used with modifier

  • purple: In purples yellows sulfate of uranium to uranium rays results of more.

Preposition: in

  • autumn: The tree flowers in March and the leaves turn bright yellow in autumn.

Preposition: of

  • skin: Signs include a darkening of the urine and jaundice ( yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes ).
yellow usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"yellow." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/yellow>

APA Style

yellow. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/yellow

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