off-white
/'ɔ:f'wait/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Having a color that is very pale or not pure white; a white tinged with another color, often gray, yellow, or cream: "off-white" describes a color that is close to white but is slightly duller or has a faint hint of another hue.
Noun:
- A shade or color that is a very pale, impure, or dull white: "off-white" refers to the specific color itself, such as the color of unbleached fabric, bone, or eggshell.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- They painted the walls an off-white color to make the room feel warmer.
- She wore an elegant off-white dress to the ceremony.
Noun:
- The designer prefers using off-white instead of stark white in her interiors.
- The paint sample labeled "ivory" is actually a pleasant off-white.
Advanced Usage
- Used to describe neutrality or subtlety: "Off-white" is often used in design, fashion, and decor to indicate a sophisticated, non-stark alternative to pure white.
- The gallery's off-white background made the colorful paintings stand out perfectly.
Variants and Related Words
- Eggshell: (noun/adjective) A specific pale yellowish-white or off-white color, named after the color of some bird eggs.
- Ivory: (noun/adjective) A creamy or yellowish-white color, historically from elephant tusks, often considered a type of off-white.
- Cream: (noun/adjective) A pale yellowish-white color, like the color of cream, also a common off-white shade.
- Beige: (noun/adjective) A pale sandy fawn color, sometimes considered in the same family as off-white but typically browner.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Creamy, ivory, eggshell, ecru, pale.
- Noun: Ecru, ivory, cream, bone white.
Related Phrases and Idioms
(Note: "Off-white" itself is not typically used in phrasal verbs or idioms. It is primarily a descriptive color term.)
Adjective
- of something having a color tending toward white
Noun
- a shade of white the color of bleached bones