Standard Lemma guide

off-white

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a very pale colour that is almost white.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any pale colour that is almost white.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

of something having a color tending toward white

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: whitish

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a shade of white the color of bleached bones

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bone, ivory, pearl

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: white, whiteness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English off- Proto-Indo-European *ḱweyt- Proto-Germanic *hwītaz Proto-West Germanic *hwīt Old English hwīt Middle English whit English white English off-white From off- + white.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: възбя́л (vǎzbjál) — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Dutch: vuilwit — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: luonnonvalkoinen — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: likaisenvalkoinen — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: murrettu valkoinen — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: kimo — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • French: blanc cassé — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Greek: υπόλευκος (ypólefkos) — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Polish: białawy — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Romanian: alburiu — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Romanian: alburie — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Spanish: blanco apagado — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Spanish: blanco roto — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Swedish: benvit — of a very pale colour that is almost white
  • Chinese Mandarin: 灰白色 — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Dutch: gebroken wit — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Dutch: vuilwit — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: luonnonvalkoinen — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: likaisenvalkoinen — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: murrettu valkoinen — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Finnish: kimo — very pale colour that is almost white
  • French: blanc cassé — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Hungarian: tört fehér — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Kalmyk: цаһавтр (tsağavtr) — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Kalmyk: цаһацр (tsağatsr) — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Polish: złamana biel — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Romanian: alburiu — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Spanish: blanco apagado — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Spanish: blanco roto — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Swedish: benvitt — very pale colour that is almost white
  • Urdu: بادامی (bādāmi) — very pale colour that is almost white