Meaning & use
velvet
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Meanings
noununcountable
A woven cloth with a short, dense pile that feels soft and reflects light slightly.
Grammar: Uncountable for material: a piece of velvet, a velvet curtain. Add “suit/curtain/dress” to count objects.
Patterns
- a piece of velvet
- velvet curtains
- worn velvet
The costume was trimmed with red velvet.
Sunlight caught the pile of the velvet curtains.
She wore a dress of midnight-blue velvet.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurativeliterary
Having a texture, movement, or sound that is exceptionally smooth, soft, or rich.
Grammar: Used before a noun in descriptive phrases such as velvet voice or velvet darkness.
Patterns
- velvet voice
- velvet darkness
- velvet smooth
The singer had a low velvet voice.
We entered a room of velvet darkness and candlelight.
The polish left the wood surface velvet smooth.
Common combinations
- red velvet
- The chair was upholstered in worn red velvet.
- velvet curtains
- Velvet curtains muffled the street noise.
- velvet voice
- His velvet voice made the announcement sound calm.
- crushed velvet
- She chose crushed velvet for the theater costume.
Synonyms and how they differ
- velour
- A similar knitted or woven pile fabric, often stretchier and less luxurious than velvet.
- plush
- Describes something soft and thick; as a fabric it is usually different from true velvet.
- silky
- Emphasizes smoothness like silk, often with less depth and shine than velvet.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: velvet or velvet vs velour?
velvet vs velvet vs velour
Velvet is usually woven and luxurious; velour is often knitted, stretchier, and used for tracksuits or casual clothing.
Practice
Which phrase is natural?
Choose one answer.
“Velvet voice” is a figurative adjective phrase. Velvet as material is uncountable, so “a velvet” and “two velvets” are wrong without a noun like “dress.”
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “velvet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.