olive-brown

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having a dull brown color with a greenish tone, like the shade of some olives.

   Grammar: Hyphenated before a noun: an olive-brown coat; it can also be a noun naming the color.

   Patterns

   • olive-brown skin
   • olive-brown feathers

   The lizard has an olive-brown back with pale spots.

   He wore an olive-brown jacket that blended into the woods.

   The river water looked olive-brown after the storm.

2. 2noununcountable

   A dull greenish brown color.

   Grammar: Used without an article when naming the color: painted in olive-brown.

   Patterns

   • painted in olive-brown
   • a shade of olive-brown

   The walls were painted olive-brown, which made the room feel calm.

   Olive-brown is a popular color for field jackets.

Common combinations

olive-brown plumage

The warbler has olive-brown plumage on its back.

olive-brown skin

Her olive-brown skin tanned quickly in the sun.

olive-brown fur

The animal's olive-brown fur helps it hide among leaves.

olive-brown paint

They chose olive-brown paint for the shutters.

olive-brown shade

The cloth came in a deep olive-brown shade.

Synonyms and how they differ

khaki

Khaki is a dull tan or yellowish brown, usually less green than olive-brown.

drab

Drab names a dull brownish color and also suggests a dull look, which olive-brown does not.

brownish-green

Brownish-green is a looser description that does not point to the specific olive shade.

loden

Loden is a dark green traditionally linked to a thick wool cloth, and it is greener than olive-brown.

Word family

olive noun

a small fruit, or the greenish color of unripe ones

olive adjective

having a dull yellow-green color

olive green noun

a dark yellowish green

brown adjective

the color of earth or wood

brownish adjective

somewhat brown

Commonly confused: olive-brown or olive-green?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “olive-brown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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