Meaning & use
pink
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
having a pale red color, like the inside of a watermelon or a baby's blanket.
Grammar: Gradable: you can say 'pinker' or 'more pink' and 'the pinkest'.
Patterns
- pink flowers
- turn pink
- bright pink
She wore a pink dress to the party.
The sky turned pink as the sun went down.
These pink shoes are brighter than my old ones.
nouncountable or uncountable
a pale red color.
Grammar: Uncountable for the color itself ('dressed in pink'), countable for a shade ('a soft pink').
Patterns
- in pink
- a shade of pink
- wear pink
Pink is her favorite color.
The walls were painted a warm pink.
He bought a shirt in bright pink.
nouncountable
a garden plant with a sweet smell and pink or white flowers.
Grammar: Countable as a plant; the flowers are usually plural 'pinks'.
Patterns
- a pink in the garden
- grow pinks
There is a pink growing by the gate.
She planted pinks along the path.
adjectivenot comparabledisapprovinginformal
having slightly left-wing political views, used mainly in a disapproving way.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb; not usually graded.
Patterns
- a pink politician
- too pink for the party
Critics called the newspaper too pink for its readers.
He was labeled a pink liberal by his opponents.
noununcountableinformalold-fashioned
the highest level or best condition of something, especially health.
Grammar: Mainly in the fixed phrase 'in the pink'.
Patterns
- in the pink
- in the pink of health
After her holiday, she was in the pink again.
He is in the pink of health at ninety.
Word forms
| comparative | pinker |
|---|---|
| superlative | pinkest |
| plural | pinks |
Common combinations
- bright pink
- She painted her nails bright pink.
- pale pink
- The bedroom walls are a pale pink.
- in the pink
- Grandpa is in the pink after his operation.
- pink slip
- The factory handed out pink slips to fifty workers.
- see the world through rose-colored glasses
- He sees the world through rose-colored glasses and ignores the problems.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: pink or pinkie?
pink vs pinkie
A 'pinkie' is a finger; 'pink' is the color or the plant. They sound alike but are different words.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pink' correctly as a color adjective?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 is correct because 'pink' works as an adjective before a noun. Option 1 treats it as a countable noun, option 2 uses an adverb form that does not exist, and option 3 uses the wrong structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pink”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.