Meaning & use
claret
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Meanings
noununcountable
A very dark red with a touch of purple, like red wine.
Grammar: Without an article it names the shade: painted in claret; also used as an adjective: a claret scarf.
Patterns
- claret red
- dressed in claret
The football team plays in claret and blue.
She chose claret for the front door.
The velvet curtains were a rich claret.
nouncountable or uncountableBritish
A dry red wine from the Bordeaux region of France, or a red wine of this style.
Grammar: As a drink: a glass of claret; as types: fine clarets.
Patterns
- a glass of claret
- a bottle of claret
He ordered a bottle of claret with the roast.
The old inn serves claret from the nearby cellar.
Word forms
| plural | clarets |
|---|
Common combinations
- claret red
- The jersey was claret red.
- deep claret
- The lipstick was a deep claret.
- glass of claret
- She sipped a glass of claret.
- claret and blue
- Fans wore claret and blue scarves.
- claret wine
- Claret wine suits red meat.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- claret-colored adjective
- having the deep purplish-red shade
Commonly confused: claret or clarity? claret or burgundy?
claret vs clarity
Clarity means clearness and has no connection with colors or wine.
claret vs burgundy
Burgundy is a wine and color too, but it usually sits slightly browner than claret.
Practice
The team's shirts were a deep ___, a purplish red like Bordeaux wine.
Choose one answer.
Claret is the purplish red named after the wine. The other colors are yellow, dark blue and blue-green.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “claret”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.