candy striped

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Decorated with narrow stripes of white and a bright color, often red or pink, like a stick of hard candy.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a candy-striped awning.

   Patterns

   • a candy striped something

   The shop had a candy-striped awning over the door.

   She wore a candy-striped dress to the picnic.

   The nursery walls were painted in a candy-striped pattern.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounAmerican

   Worn by young hospital volunteers in the United States, who were called candy stripers because of their striped uniforms.

   Grammar: Appears mainly in American contexts: a candy-striped uniform.

   Patterns

   • a candy striped volunteer

   As a teenager she worked as a candy-striped volunteer at the hospital.

   The candy-striped uniform was pink and white.

   He remembered the candy-striped girls who handed out magazines.

Common combinations

candy-striped pole

The barber's candy-striped pole spun slowly.

candy-striped awning

A candy-striped awning shaded the stall.

candy-striped shirt

He wore a candy-striped shirt to the fair.

candy-striped socks

Her candy-striped socks were bright red and white.

Synonyms and how they differ

striped

Striped is a general word for any stripes, but candy striped suggests narrow, bright, cheerful stripes with white.

banded

Banded suggests wide bands rather than thin stripes.

pinstriped

Pinstriped describes very thin, formal stripes on suits, not bright candy colors.

Opposites

Word family

candy noun

sweet food made from sugar

stripe noun

a long narrow band of color

striped adjective

having stripes

candy striper noun

a teenage hospital volunteer in the United States

Commonly confused: candy striped or candied?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “candy striped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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