colourfully

/ˈkʌləfəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkʌlərfəli/ (ame, ipa)

colourfully — adverb

1. showing many strong colours together, or using a variety of shades that stand ou

1.副詞B1
釋義

showing many strong colours together, or using a variety of shades that stand out.

例句

Madison's birthday cake was colourfully decorated with pink, yellow, and blue icing.

passive: be colourfully + past participle (decorated, painted)

The children dressed colourfully for the school's spring festival on Saturday.

verb + colourfully describing how someone is clothed

同義詞
  • brightly

    focuses on light/vividness; can describe a single colour

  • vividly

    stronger; emphasises sharp, striking colour

  • gaily

    old-fashioned; suggests cheerful, festive decoration

反義詞
  • drably

    in dull, lifeless colours

  • plainly

    without decoration or colour

文法句型

verb + colourfully

colourfully + past participle

用法筆記

Frequently passive with verbs of decoration or display (be colourfully decorated / painted / arranged / dressed). Subject is usually an object, room, costume, or display rather than an abstract idea — distinguish from sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌Her speech was colourfully written on the page.
✅Her speech was written in colourful language.
💡for visual colour on paper, use 'in colour' or 'in bright colours'; 'colourfully' goes with the act of decorating, not the act of writing text.

2. in a lively, interesting way that holds people's attention — for example, tellin

2.副詞B2
釋義

in a lively, interesting way that holds people's attention — for example, telling a story with funny details or vivid expressions.

例句

Iris spoke colourfully about her three months hiking through northern Vietnam.

verb of speaking + colourfully for vivid storytelling

Soraya described the wedding colourfully, naming every dish on the long table.

同義詞
  • vividly

    very close; emphasises sharp mental images for the listener

  • expressively

    stresses showing feeling more than visual detail

  • graphically

    stronger; can suggest unpleasant, disturbing detail

反義詞
  • dryly

    in a flat, unexciting way; can also mean with quiet humour

  • blandly

    without flavour or interesting detail

文法句型

verb of speaking/writing + colourfully

用法筆記

Pairs with verbs of speaking, writing, or describing (speak, write, describe, recount, swear). Subject is usually a person communicating, never a physical object — distinguish from sense 1, which is about visible colour.

常見錯誤

❌The garden bloomed colourfully with new ideas.
✅The writer described the garden colourfully, full of new ideas.
💡sense 2 needs a verb of communication; you cannot use it for the source of the ideas itself.