colorful

/ˈkʌləfl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkʌlərfl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkə-lər-fəl/ (ame, mw)

colorful — 形容詞

  • colorfulpositive
  • more colorfulcomparative
  • most colorfulsuperlative

1. the US way of writing the word 'colourful'

1.形容詞
釋義

美式拼寫

colourful 的美式拼法

the US way of writing the word 'colourful'

例句

The US spelling 'colorful' is more common than the UK spelling 'colourful' in American books.

在美國出版的書籍中，colorful 這個美式拼法比英式拼法 colourful 更常見。

spelling note: US vs UK -ful/-our

My teacher wrote 'colorful' on the board because our school uses American English.

我們老師把 colorful 寫在黑板上，因為學校教的是美式英語。

用法筆記

This is the American English spelling. In British English the word is written 'colourful' with the letters 'u' after 'o'. Both spellings cover the same meanings — there is no difference in usage or definition, only in spelling convention.

2. having many bright, rich, or different colors instead of being plain or dull

2.形容詞A2
釋義

色彩繽紛

顏色鮮豔或多樣的

having many bright, rich, or different colors instead of being plain or dull

例句

The children's bedroom was painted in colorful stripes of blue, green, and yellow.

小孩的臥室漆上了藍色、綠色和黃色的彩色條紋。

attributive use: colorful + noun

Ravi wore a colorful shirt covered in patterns of birds and flowers.

Ravi 穿了一件印滿鳥類和花朵圖案的花襯衫。

collocation: colorful + clothing item

同義詞
  • vivid

    emphasizes intensity and brightness of each color, not necessarily variety

  • bright

    can describe a single color's intensity; 'bright' alone does not imply multiple colors

  • vibrant

    suggests lively, strong colors that catch the eye

  • multicolored

    more neutral and factual; just states many colors are present

反義詞
  • dull

    lacking brightness, not vivid

  • drab

    uninteresting in color, usually brownish or grayish

  • colorless

    having no color at all, or very little

文法句型

colorful + noun

be + colorful

用法筆記

Frequently used before a noun to describe something with several colors at once, not just one bright color. A 'colorful painting' has many hues; a 'bright red painting' has only one intense hue.

常見錯誤

❌She wore a colorful red dress.' (red is one color)
✅She wore a colorful dress with red, gold, and blue stripes.
💡'colorful' describes multiple colors together, not a single shade.

3. lively and rich in character or content — used of people, events, stories, and l

3.形容詞B2
釋義

多采多姿

有趣刺激且變化豐富的

lively and rich in character or content — used of people, events, stories, and language to describe something that is exciting, surprising, or even a little shocking because of its variety or unusual qualities

例句

The old fisherman had a colorful past — dancer, sailor, and gold miner.

那位老漁夫的過去非常多采多姿——舞者、水手，還有淘金工人。

collocation: colorful + past / history / career

Leila told a colorful story about getting lost in the streets of Marrakesh.

Leila 講了一個精彩的故事，說她在馬拉喀什的巷弄裡迷路的經歷。

collocation: colorful + story / description

同義詞
  • interesting

    broader and more neutral; does not carry the 'shocking' edge

  • lively

    focuses on energy rather than variety

  • vivid

    can overlap in the 'vivid imagination' sense, but is less about variety and more about clarity or intensity

  • varied

    emphasizes diversity without the excitement or shock connotation

反義詞
  • dull

    not interesting, boring

  • boring

    completely uninteresting, tedious

  • monotonous

    lacking in variety, repetitive

文法句型

colorful + noun

be + colorful

用法筆記

When applied to people's speech ('colorful language'), this sense often serves as a polite way to say that someone used rude or offensive words. Distinguish from sense 2: a 'colorful painting' is literally full of colors, while a 'colorful story' is figuratively full of interest.

常見錯誤

❌The colorful sunset was amazing.' (literal meaning, where many colors appear)
✅The colorful account of his travels made us all want to visit Japan.
💡for the figurative sense, the noun must be abstract (story, past, career, description), not a visual scene.