rosy

IPA/ˈrəʊzi/
KK[rˈozi]IPA/ˈrəʊzi/

rosy — adjective

  • rosypositive
  • rosiercomparative
  • rosiestsuperlative

1. having a warm pink or light red colour, typically describing healthy skin or the

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a warm pink or light red colour, typically describing healthy skin or the sky during sunrise and sunset

Example

Naoko's cheeks turned rosy after she walked home in the cold wind.

collocation: rosy cheeks / turned rosy

The sky above the farm was a beautiful rosy pink just before sunset.

attributive before colour: rosy pink

Common collocations
  • rosy cheeks
  • rosy glow
  • rosy complexion
  • rosy sky
  • rosy sunset
  • rosy pink
  • turn rosy
  • go rosy
Synonyms
  • pink

    broader and more common; works for any object or surface

  • flushed

    specifically for skin reddened by emotion, exertion, or fever

  • ruddy

    stronger red tone, often suggesting an outdoor or robust complexion

Antonyms
  • pale

    lacking colour, especially when skin is unhealthy-looking

  • sallow

    a yellowish, unhealthy skin tone

Grammar Patterns

rosy + noun (attributive)

be/look/turn/go + rosy (predicative)

Usage Note

Most often describes human skin (especially cheeks) as a sign of good health, and the sky at dawn or dusk. Less common for describing manufactured objects or abstract colour references.

Common Mistakes

Her new dress was rosy.
Her new dress was pink.
Rosy is rarely used for clothing or most objects; pink is the general term for this colour range.

2. appearing very positive, hopeful, or likely to lead to good results, especially

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

appearing very positive, hopeful, or likely to lead to good results, especially when talking about future plans, prospects, or situations

Example

The company's financial future looks rosy after the new product launch.

subject + looks rosy: describing future prospects

Ezra painted a rosy picture of the city, but his sister knew the real story.

idiom: paint a rosy picture

Common collocations
  • rosy future
  • rosy outlook
  • rosy picture
  • rosy forecast
  • rosy prospects
  • rosy view
  • look rosy
  • paint a rosy picture
Synonyms
  • promising

    emphasises future potential rather than current outlook

  • optimistic

    focuses on an attitude or view rather than the situation itself

  • bright

    more general and informal; used in many contexts

  • favourable

    slightly more formal; often used for conditions or circumstances

Antonyms
  • gloomy

    suggests a depressing or hopeless outlook

  • bleak

    stronger than gloomy; suggests no chance of improvement

  • pessimistic

    focuses on the attitude of expecting the worst

Grammar Patterns

rosy + noun (attributive)

be/look/seem + rosy (predicative)

paint a rosy picture (idiomatic phrase)

Usage Note

Often used in the phrase 'paint a rosy picture', which can suggest that someone is presenting an overly positive view and ignoring problems. When used without this implication, the positive outlook is considered realistic.

Common Mistakes

I feel very rosy about my exam.
My exam prospects look very rosy.
Rosy describes the outlook or prospects of a situation, not a person's internal emotional state.
Idioms

everything in the garden is rosy

idiom

This idiom means that a situation is completely good or satisfactory.

Maya thought everything in the garden was rosy until the project failed.

Is everything in the garden rosy between you and your roommate now?

Word family

  • rose
    nounA2
  • rosily
    adverbC1
  • rosiness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Rosy, pink, flushed, ruddy, and blushing all describe a reddish colour on skin, but with different nuances. Pink is the most general term — it can be used for almost anything. Rosy specifically conveys a warm, healthy glow, often on children's or elderly people's cheeks. Flushed describes temporary redness from emotion, fever, or exertion ('She was flushed with excitement'). Ruddy implies a deeper, more permanent red, often from outdoor work or a rugged lifestyle. Blushing focuses on the emotional cause — embarrassment or shyness — rather than the colour itself. For skin, use rosy for healthy-looking colour, ruddy for a stronger outdoor red, and blushing when embarrassment is the cause.

pink ↗flushed ↗ruddyblushing ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • very rosy
  • rather rosy
  • extremely rosy

Phrases

  • paint a rosy picture

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Rosy comes from the noun rose (the flower) plus the suffix -y, meaning 'full of' or 'resembling'. The flower name rose entered English from Old French, which inherited it from Latin rosa. The colour meaning appeared in English around the 1300s, and by the 1500s the figurative sense of 'hopeful and bright' had developed, drawing on the rose's long cultural association with beauty, health, and pleasantness.