purple

1 of 3

adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler ˈpər-p(ə-)lər  ; purplest ˈpər-p(ə-)ləst 

1

: having a color between red and blue : of the color purple

a purple flower

purple fabric

… can only have left his antagonists purple with frustration.

—Joseph Epstein

2

a

: ornately and showily phrased or expressed

… the writing often descends into the purple prose of a besotted fan.

—Stephen Holden

… Rice is a first-rate writer. There are no purple patches in this narrative, and no attempts to sermonize.

—Lawrence S. Cunningham

b

: marked by profanity

His language in public is so purple they had to stop broadcasting the meetings of the city council.

—Newsweek

3

US politics : having roughly equal levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates or policies

… a blue candidate trying to swipe a red seat in a purple state.

—Don Rollins

… as the race pulled tighter than Paris Hilton's jeans, Kerry volunteers flooded the purple states to energize their voters—tens of thousands of them newly registered.

—Michelle Cottle

compare blue sense 9, red sense 5

4

dated : regal, imperial

purple

2 of 3

noun

1

a(1)

: cloth dyed purple

(2)

: a garment of such color

especially : a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority

b(1)

: tyrian purple

(2)

: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue

c(1)

: a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura) yielding a purple dye and especially the Tyrian purple of ancient times

(2)

: a pigment or dye that colors purple

2

a

: imperial or regal rank or power

b

: high rank or station

purple

3 of 3

verb

purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to make purple

intransitive verb

: to become purple

Synonyms

Adjective

• aureate
• florid
• flowery
• grandiloquent
• high-flown
• high-sounding
• highfalutin
• hifalutin
• magnific
• ornate
• rhetorical
• rhetoric

Examples of purple in a Sentence

Adjective

The book contains a few purple passages.

Her writing was full of purple prose.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And Democrats kept a purple Orange County district that was up for grabs after Rep. Katie Porter left the seat to run unsuccessfully for Senate this year. —Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

While the Princess of Wales paired the cross with a velvet purple floor-length dress by Catherine Walker, Kardashian opted to marry the 5.25-carat necklace with pearl chokers and an ivory shawl cape. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

Thankfully their Old & Rare advent calendar comes with a wooden case (to hide the purple). —Mark Littler, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

In addition to the movie’s themes, the colors green, pink and purple are highlighted across the inventory with emeralds, pink sapphires and amethysts. —Erin Lassner, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

His opponent, Jennifer McCormick, is a former Republican turned Democrat with a difficult road to victory in reliably red Indiana, but she and running mate Terry Goodin are poised to capitalize on a purpling electorate. —Arika Herron, Axios, 16 Sep. 2024

There are many different species of basils, from the common sweet basil, to a dark purpled foliaged ‘Purple Ruffles’ . —Janet B. Carson, arkansasonline.com, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English purpel, alteration of purper, from Old English purpuran of purple, genitive of purpure purple color, from Latin purpura, from Greek porphyra

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing purple

• purple coneflower
• purple finch
• purple loosestrife
• purple martin
• purple passage
• purple scale
• royal purple
• Tyrian purple
• visual purple

Kids Definition

purple

1 of 3 adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler -p(ə-)lər  ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst 

: of the color purple

purple

2 of 3 noun

: a color midway between red and blue

purple

3 of 3 verb

purpled; purpling ˈpər-p(ə-)liŋ 

: to turn purple

Medical Definition

purple

1 of 2 adjective

pur·​ple ˈpər-pəl 

purpler -p(ə-)lər  ; purplest -p(ə-)ləst 

: of the color purple

purple

2 of 2 noun

1

: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue

2

: a pigment or dye that colors purple see visual purple