discolor
/dis'kʌlə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To cause something to change from its original or natural color, often in an undesirable way, such as by staining, fading, or chemical reaction.
- To cause something to lose its color.
Verb (intransitive):
- To become changed in color, often undesirably.
- To lose color or become colorless.
Usage
- As a transitive verb, "discolor" takes a direct object (e.g., ).
- As an intransitive verb, it does not take a direct object (e.g., ).
- It typically describes an unwanted or negative change in appearance.
Examples
- Transitive use:
- The harsh chemicals in the water can discolor your hair.
- Spilling red wine on the carpet will discolor it.
- Intransitive use:
- Old photographs often discolor and turn yellow.
- The leaves began to discolor and fall from the tree.
Advanced Usage
- "to discolor with age": to change color as a natural result of getting older.
- The pages of the ancient book had discolored with age.
- "to discolor upon exposure": to change color when subjected to something (e.g., light, air).
- This pigment will discolor upon exposure to strong sunlight.
Variants and Related Words
- Discoloration (noun): the process or result of becoming discolored.
- There was a noticeable discoloration on the wall where the painting had hung.
- Discolored (adjective): having lost or changed from the original color.
- He replaced the discolored tiles in the bathroom.
Synonyms
- Stain: to leave a mark that is difficult to remove.
- Fade: to lose brightness or color gradually.
- Tarnish: to become less bright or discolored, especially metal.
- Bleach: to make white or pale by removing color.
Antonyms
- Color (verb): to add color to something.
- Brighten: to make more bright or colorful.
- Restore: to bring back to an original state, including color.
Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "discolor" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The meaning is typically contained in the single word.)
Related Idioms
(Note: There are no common idioms that use the exact word "discolor.")
Verb
- change color, often in an undesired manner
- The shirts discolored
- cause to lose or change color
- The detergent discolored my shirts
- lose color or turn colorless
- The painting discolored