primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors from which all other colors may be derived

Examples of primary color in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That light source shapes up as a triple-laser flavor where each of the primary colors – red, green and blue – gets its own laser, with the beams merged into one before leaving the optics. —New Atlas, 5 June 2025

Adding to the mystique is a painterly palette of primary colors. —Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025

This summery trend started on TikTok, and is characterized by neutral colors, woven textiles, vintage accents, mixed metals, and bold pops of primary colors (yes, tomato red included!). —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2025

Geometric shapes in primary colors were a key characteristic of this style. —Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for primary color

• bicolor
• concolor
• discolor
• tricolor
• colour
• culler
• duller
• multicolor
• technicolor
• unicolor
• versicolor
• watercolor

Kids Definition

primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors from which all other colors may be made with the colors for light being red, green, and blue and for pigments or paint being red, yellow, and blue

Medical Definition

primary color

noun

: any of a set of colors (as red, yellow, and blue or red, green, and blue) from which all other colors may be derived