Standard Lemma guide

watercolour

adj · noun · verb · 10 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwɔ.tɜˌkʌ.lɜ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Pertaining to the methods or products of watercolor.

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

A water-soluble pigment or paint.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • Jim's aunt uses only watercolours to paint her pictures.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A painting made by using such pigment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • Jim's aunt paints beautiful watercolours.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aquarelle

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

This kind of painting as a genre.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • I'm not a big fan of watercolour; I much prefer oil painting.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To paint using watercolour

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the art or technique of painting with watercolors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watercolor, water-color, water-colour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: painting

7

noun

Meaning 7

a painting produced with watercolors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watercolor, water-color, water-colour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: painting, picture

Narrower terms: gouache, wash, wash drawing

8

noun

Meaning 8

a water-base paint (with water-soluble pigments); used by artists

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watercolor, water-color, water-colour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: water-base paint

Narrower terms: gouache

9

noun

Meaning 9

water-soluble pigment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watercolor, water-color, water-colour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pigment

10

verb

Meaning 10

paint with watercolors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watercolor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: paint

History

Etymology

From water + colour.

Across languages

Translations

138 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: акварелен (akvarelen) — pertaining to the methods or products of watercolor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水彩 (watercolor) — pertaining to the methods or products of watercolor
  • Finnish: vesiväri- — pertaining to the methods or products of watercolor
  • Russian: акваре́льный (akvarélʹnyj) — pertaining to the methods or products of watercolor
  • Afrikaans: waterverf — pigment
  • Armenian: ջրաներկ (ǰranerk) — pigment
  • Bengali: জলরঙ (joloroṅ) — pigment
  • Bulgarian: акварел (akvarel) — pigment
  • Burmese: ရေဆေး (rehce:) — pigment
  • Catalan: aquarel·la — pigment
  • Cherokee: ᎠᎹ ᏗᏑᏫᏍᏗ (ama disuwisdi) — pigment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水彩 (shuǐcǎi) — pigment
  • Danish: akvarel — pigment
  • Danish: akvarelfarve — pigment
  • Danish: vandfarve — pigment
  • Dutch: waterverf — pigment
  • Dutch: aquarel — pigment
  • Esperanto: akvarelo — pigment
  • Esperanto: akvofarbo — pigment
  • Estonian: vesivärv — pigment
  • Estonian: akvarell — pigment
  • Finnish: vesiväri — pigment
  • Finnish: akvarelliväri — pigment
  • French: aquarelle — pigment
  • West-Frisian: akwarel — pigment
  • Friulian: acuarel — pigment
  • Georgian: აკვარელი (aḳvareli) — pigment
  • German: Wasserfarbe — pigment
  • Greek: νερομπογιά (nerompogiá) — pigment
  • Gujarati: જલરંગ (jalraṅg) — pigment
  • Hindi: जलवर्ण (jalvarṇ) — pigment
  • Hindi: जलरंग (jalraṅg) — pigment
  • Hindi: आबरंग (ābraṅg) — pigment
  • Hungarian: vízfesték — pigment
  • Hungarian: akvarell — pigment
  • Ido: aquarelo — pigment
  • Ido: aquafarbo — pigment
  • Indonesian: cat air — pigment
  • Irish: dobharlí — pigment
  • Irish: uiscedhath — pigment
  • Italian: acquerello — pigment
  • Japanese: 水彩 (suisai) — pigment
  • Japanese: ウォーターカラー (wōtā karā) — pigment
  • Khmer: ពណ៌ទឹក (pɔətɨk) — pigment
  • Korean: 수채 (suchae) — pigment
  • Lao: ສີນໍ້າ (sī nam) — pigment
  • Latvian: akvarelis — pigment
  • Ligurian: acquarèllo — pigment
  • Lithuanian: akvarelė — pigment
  • Lombard: acquarèll — pigment
  • Macedonian: акварел (akvarel) — pigment
  • Malay: cat air — pigment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vannfarge — pigment
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vassfarge — pigment
  • Occitan: aqüarèla — pigment
  • Plautdietsch: Tusch — pigment
  • Polish: akwarela — pigment
  • Polish: farba wodna — pigment
  • Portuguese: aquarela — pigment
  • Romanian: acuarelă — pigment
  • Russian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — pigment
  • Scottish Gaelic: peanta dath-uisge — pigment
  • Southern Altai: акварель (akvarelʹ) — pigment
  • Spanish: acuarela — pigment
  • Tagalog: akwarela — pigment
  • Thai: สีน้ํา (sǐi-náam) — pigment
  • Tibetan: ཆུ་ཚོན (chu tshon) — pigment
  • Turkish: sulu boya — pigment
  • Ukrainian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — pigment
  • Vietnamese: màu nước — pigment
  • Welsh: dyfrlliw — pigment
  • Afrikaans: waterverfskildery — painting
  • Afrikaans: akwarel — painting
  • Armenian: ջրանկար (ǰrankar) — painting
  • Azerbaijani: sulu boya — painting
  • Bulgarian: акварел (akvarel) — painting
  • Catalan: aquarel·la — painting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水彩畫 /水彩画 (shuǐcǎihuà) — painting
  • Czech: akvarel — painting
  • Danish: akvarel — painting
  • Dutch: aquarel — painting
  • Estonian: akvarell — painting
  • Finnish: vesivärimaalaus — painting
  • Finnish: akvarelli — painting
  • French: aquarelle — painting
  • West-Frisian: akwarel — painting
  • German: Aquarell — painting
  • German: Aquarellbild — painting
  • German: Wasserfarbenbild — painting
  • Greek: υδατογραφία (ydatografía) — painting
  • Hungarian: akvarell — painting
  • Indonesian: akuarel — painting
  • Irish: dobharlí — painting
  • Irish: uiscedhath — painting
  • Italian: acquerello — painting
  • Japanese: 水彩画 (suisaiga) — painting
  • Korean: 수채화 (suchaehwa) — painting
  • Māori: peita waikano — painting
  • Norwegian Bokmål: akvarell — painting
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: akvarell — painting
  • Polish: akwarela — painting
  • Portuguese: aquarela — painting
  • Romanian: acuarelă — painting
  • Russian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — painting
  • Scottish Gaelic: dealbh dath-uisge — painting
  • Spanish: acuarela — painting
  • Swedish: akvarell — painting
  • Tagalog: akwarela — painting
  • Turkish: akvarel — painting
  • Turkish: sulu boya — painting
  • Ukrainian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — painting
  • Welsh: peintiad dyfrlliw — painting
  • Afrikaans: waterverfskilderkuns — genre
  • Azerbaijani: sulu boya — genre
  • Bulgarian: акварел (akvarel) — genre
  • Catalan: aquarel·la — genre
  • Chinese Mandarin: 水彩 (shuǐcǎi) — genre
  • Danish: akvarel — genre
  • Dutch: aquarel — genre
  • Finnish: vesivärimaalaus — genre
  • French: aquarelle — genre
  • West-Frisian: akwarel — genre
  • German: Wasserfarbenmalerei — genre
  • Greek: υδατογραφία (ydatografía) — genre
  • Hungarian: akvarell — genre
  • Hungarian: vízfestés — genre
  • Italian: acquerello — genre
  • Japanese: 水彩絵の具 (suisaie no gu) — genre
  • Korean: 수채화 물감 (suchaehwa mulgam) — genre
  • Marathi: जलरंगचित्रण (jalarangachitran) — genre
  • Polish: akwarela — genre
  • Portuguese: aquarela — genre
  • Russian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — genre
  • Scottish Gaelic: dath-uisge — genre
  • Spanish: acuarela — genre
  • Tagalog: akwarela — genre
  • Turkish: sulu boya — genre
  • Ukrainian: акваре́ль (akvarélʹ) — genre
Real reading context

watercolour in complete knowledge articles