purple

noun

A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta.

(colour theory) Any non-spectral colour on the line of purples on a colour chromaticity diagram or a colour wheel between violet and red.

Cloth, or a garment, dyed a purple colour; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple robe or mantle worn by Ancient Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity.

(by extension) Imperial power.

Any of various species of mollusks from which Tyrian purple dye was obtained, especially the common dog whelk.

The purple haze cultivar of cannabis in the kush family, either pure or mixed with others, or by extension any variety of smoked marijuana.

(medicine) Purpura.

Earcockle, a disease of wheat.

Any of the species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis).

A cardinalate.

(UK, slang) Synonym of snakebite and black.

(slang, US) Ellipsis of purple drank. [(slang) A recreational drug based on cough syrup, popular in the hip-hop community in the southern United States.]

(rare) A surname from Middle English.

verb

(intransitive) To turn purple in colour.

(transitive) To dye purple.

(transitive) To clothe in purple.

(intransitive, US slang) To pursue the opposite gender in inappropriate circumstances, usually of adolescents. (From the metaphor of mixing blue [boys] and pink [girls].)

adjective

Of a purple hue.

(US politics) Not predominantly red or blue, but having a mixture of Democrat and Republican support.

(Belgium, Netherlands) Mixed between social democrats and liberals.

Imperial; regal.

Blood-red; bloody.

(literature) Of language, extravagantly ornate, like purple prose.

(motor racing) Of a sector, lap, etc., completed in the fastest time so far in a given session.

Roots

porphyrapurpl- · Greek · purple

Synonyms for purple

purplenessn purplishadj violetn purpure mauveadj blueadj magentaadj fuchsian violaceousadj lilacadj

Synonyms & related words for purple

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of purple — including purpleness, purplish, violet, purpure, mauve, blue. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to purple

Explore words related to purple — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include empurple, pink, red, puce, yellow, bluest, pinkish, blueish. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for purple

Common synonyms for purple include purpleness, purplish, violet, purpure, mauve, blue, magenta, fuchsia — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does purple come from?

The word purple breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root purpl-, from Greek porphyra (“purple”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.