Meaning & use
pinkish-purple
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Colored with a mix of pink and purple in which the pink is easier to notice than the deeper violet tone.
Grammar: Usually placed before a noun with a hyphen: a pinkish-purple scarf; after a verb it is often written without one: the scarf was pinkish purple.
Patterns
- pinkish-purple something
- be pinkish-purple
The sky turned pinkish-purple just after the sun disappeared behind the hills.
She painted the nursery a soft pinkish-purple that glowed in the evening light.
Bruises often start red and then become pinkish-purple before fading to yellow.
noununcountable
The shade itself, a color between pink and purple that leans toward pink.
Grammar: Used without an or the when naming the color in general: the walls were painted in pinkish-purple.
Patterns
- in pinkish-purple
- a shade of pinkish-purple
The designer chose pinkish-purple for the cover of the brochure.
Pinkish-purple is not a color I would have picked for a kitchen.
Common combinations
- pinkish-purple flower
- A pinkish-purple flower had opened beside the garden gate.
- pinkish-purple hue
- The clouds took on a pinkish-purple hue at dusk.
- pinkish-purple dye
- The fabric was soaked in a pinkish-purple dye made from berries.
- turn pinkish-purple
- His cheeks turned pinkish-purple in the cold wind.
- pinkish-purple glow
- The lamp cast a pinkish-purple glow over the room.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mauve
- Mauve names a specific pale purple and is a single established color word, whereas pinkish-purple is a descriptive compound you build on the spot.
- lilac
- Lilac suggests a light, cool purple that is not especially pink, so it fits a paler, bluer shade than pinkish-purple.
- orchid
- Orchid is a named color for a medium pinkish purple, so it is more precise but less likely to be understood by everyone.
- magenta
- Magenta is a much stronger and more vivid pinkish-purple, so it would not suit a soft or muted shade.
Word family
Commonly confused: pinkish-purple or purplish-pink?
pinkish-purple vs purplish-pink
This reverses the order and means the color is mainly pink with a hint of purple, while pinkish-purple is mainly purple with a hint of pink; in practice many writers use them loosely.
Practice
Which sentence correctly hyphenates the color before a noun?
Choose one answer.
A compound color adjective before a noun takes a hyphen between its parts, so pinkish-purple dress is correct; adding a second hyphen before dress or commas breaks the structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pinkish-purple”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.