Meaning & use
ivory
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Meanings
noununcountable
The hard, cream-colored substance that makes up the tusks of elephants and some other animals.
Grammar: Uncountable: a piece of ivory, not an ivory.
Patterns
- made of ivory
- carved from ivory
The antique chess pieces were carved from ivory.
Many countries have banned the sale of ivory to protect elephants.
Customs officers seized a shipment of illegal ivory.
noununcountable
A pale yellowish-white color.
Grammar: Often used as an adjective before a noun: an ivory dress.
The bride chose a gown in ivory rather than pure white.
The walls were painted a soft ivory.
nounusually pluralinformal
An object, especially a carving or a piano key, made of this material.
Grammar: Often the plural ivories, informally for piano keys.
Patterns
- tickle the ivories
The pianist tickled the ivories all evening.
The museum displays rare ivories from the ancient world.
Word forms
| plural | ivories |
|---|
Common combinations
- ivory tusk
- The ivory tusk weighed more than thirty pounds.
- ivory trade
- The ivory trade has devastated elephant herds.
- carved ivory
- A carved ivory figure sat on the shelf.
- ivory tower
- Critics say the professors live in an ivory tower, far from daily life.
- ivory white
- The curtains were an ivory white.
- tickle the ivories
- He loves to tickle the ivories at family gatherings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cream
- Cream names a slightly yellow white and is a general color term, whereas ivory also evokes smooth, polished surfaces.
- off-white
- Off-white covers any white tinted with another shade, while ivory points to a particular warm, yellowish tone.
- tusk
- Tusk is the whole long tooth of the animal, while ivory is the material it is made of.
Opposites
Word family
- ivories noun
- piano keys, or several objects made of ivory
- ivory-white adjective
- of the creamy white shade
- ivory tower noun
- a sheltered, detached place of learning or thought
Commonly confused: ivory or ebony?
ivory vs ebony
Ebony is a dark wood and also a black color, often paired with ivory in piano keys as its opposite.
Practice
The bride's dress was not bright white but a soft, creamy ____.
Choose one answer.
Ivory names a pale yellowish-white color, which suits the creamy dress. Ebony is its dark opposite, not a shade of white.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ivory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.