Meaning & use
slate gray
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A dark gray color with a slight blue or green tint, like the stone used for roofs.
Grammar: Used as a color name: painted in slate gray; British spelling is slate grey.
Patterns
- painted in slate gray
- slate gray paint
We painted the front door slate gray.
The sea turned slate gray before the storm.
She chose slate gray for the living room walls.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having this dark bluish-gray color.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a slate gray sky; it can also be hyphenated.
Patterns
- slate gray + noun
He wore a slate gray suit to the interview.
The slate gray clouds hung low over the hills.
They bought a slate gray sofa.
Common combinations
- slate gray sky
- A slate gray sky promised rain.
- slate gray suit
- He looked sharp in a slate gray suit.
- slate gray paint
- Slate gray paint looks elegant with white trim.
- slate gray eyes
- Her slate gray eyes were hard to read.
- slate gray roof
- The cottage had a slate gray roof.
Synonyms and how they differ
- charcoal
- Charcoal is darker and closer to black, while slate gray is lighter and bluer.
- steel gray
- Steel gray has a metallic cool look, whereas slate gray feels more like natural stone.
- gunmetal
- Gunmetal is darker and shinier, while slate gray is matte and stone-like.
- ash gray
- Ash gray is paler and warmer than slate gray.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: slate gray or slate blue?
slate gray vs slate blue
Slate blue is a distinct color that leans more toward blue than slate gray does.
Practice
A designer describing a cool, dark gray with a hint of blue, like roof stone, would call it ___.
Choose one answer.
Slate gray names a bluish dark gray taken from the stone. The other options are different colors entirely.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slate gray”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.