watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lər 

ˈwä-

1

: a paint of which the liquid is a water dispersion of the binding material (such as glue, casein, or gum)

2

: the art or method of painting with watercolors

3

: a picture or design executed in watercolors

watercolor adjective

watercolorist

ˈwȯ-tər-ˌkə-lə-rist 

ˈwä-

noun

Examples of watercolor in a Sentence

a landscape done in watercolor

He only works in watercolors.

We bought a watercolor of the shore.

Recent Examples on the Web

Arts for a Cause – Local Farmington artist Brigid Carey will be on-site with custom mini watercolor prints available for purchase, a portion of all sales will be donated to Logan’s Foundation. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025

Try out watercolor, oil pastels, or collaging to make each card unique, and don't forget to include a note for the recipient, sharing a special memory or encouragement (which will likely be easy for heartfelt Cancers to do). —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2025

In giving it definition Cassandra has used watercolor: warm brown for the hair, pale pink for the cheeks, mixed to a darker color to indicate shadows. —Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025

In early seasons, characters were hand-drawn over watercolor backdrops that bore a subtle luminosity. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for watercolor

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

Kids Definition

watercolor

noun

wa·​ter·​col·​or ˈwȯt-ər-ˌkəl-ər 

ˈwät-

1

: a paint whose liquid part is water

2

: a picture painted with watercolor

3

: the art of painting with watercolor

watercolorist

-ˌkəl-ə-rəst 

noun