purpler
ˈpər-p(ə-)lər 
; purplest
ˈpər-p(ə-)ləst
; purplest
ˈpər-p(ə-)ləst
1
: having a color between red and blue : of the color purple
a purple flower
purple fabric
… can only have left his antagonists purple with frustration.—
Joseph Epstein
Joseph Epstein2
a
: ornately and showily phrased or expressed
… the writing often descends into the purple prose of a besotted fan.—Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden… Rice is a first-rate writer. There are no purple patches in this narrative, and no attempts to sermonize.—Lawrence S. Cunningham
Lawrence S. Cunningham
b
: marked by profanity
His language in public is so purple they had to stop broadcasting the meetings of the city council.—Newsweek
Newsweek3
US politics
: having roughly equal levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates or policies
… a blue candidate trying to swipe a red seat in a purple state.—Don Rollins
Don Rollins… as the race pulled tighter than Paris Hilton's jeans, Kerry volunteers flooded the purple states to energize their voters—tens of thousands of them newly registered.—Michelle Cottle
compare blue sense 9, red sense 5
Michelle Cottle1
a(1)
: cloth dyed purple
(2)
: a garment of such color
especially
: a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority
b(1)
(2)
: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
c(1)
: a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura) yielding a purple dye and especially the Tyrian purple of ancient times
(2)
: a pigment or dye that colors purple
2
a
: imperial or regal rank or power
b
: high rank or station
Synonyms
Examples of purple in a Sentence
Adjective
The book contains a few purple passages.
Her writing was full of purple prose.
Recent Examples on the WebJamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Peonies' fragrant flowers come in red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, and white.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
Some wallflowers also have red, white or purple blooms, and the plants will reseed to grow back in the spring.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is typically the hardest one to deduce.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Symptoms of meningococcal bloodstream infections include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, diarrhea and in later stages, a dark purple rash.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Certainly, the delicious costuming by Mitchell Travers (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Hustlers) hints that something might be awry with Alice given her willingness to wear a purple, teal and blue plaid coordinating blouse and pedal pusher set that doesn’t quite suit her coloring.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
Last year, the fast food chain released adult Happy Meals and reintroduced the Hamburglar in April and Grimace in June with a special birthday meal and a purple shake.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Family members say their favorite colors were teal and purple, and ribbons in those colors have been used over the years in remembrance.
—Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
This pack comes in three color options: Gray, purple, and a multipack that includes two green, two blue, and two orange cloths.
—Jenna Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2024
The mesmerizing location also featured many colors as the lights changed from purple, to blue, green and orange.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
Deep crimson purple in the glass this delightful wine invites you in with aromas of dark chocolate, blueberry, and black plum.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
The Ube Ale is brewed with the purple yams used frequently in Filipino foods.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
For a London screening, Barrino stood out in a white Christian Siriano, opting not to embrace purple for the press tour.
—Carol McColgin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Out on the buzzing concourse ahead of showtime, the long merch-booth lines were a medley of tiaras and crop tops, sequined skirts and a whole bunch of purple — Rodrigo’s signature color.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
It’s thought that one of the paintings from the Parsons show became the Josef Albers–esque Untitled (c. 1950–53), a side-by-side of rectangles in shades of purple.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024
Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024
After exiting the stage for a handful of minutes, escorted by panicked staff, Malone returned to finish his performance – purpled sternum and all.
5.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 8 Dec. 2023
Sloe berries, purpled and clustered on blackthorn, their crushed velvet skin midnight after a summer of green.
—Lottie Hazell, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023
His eyes, blank and fierce, peered from under thick folds of heavy, purpled skin.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023
Color indicates distance from Earth, ranging from yellow on the near side of the slice to purple on the far side.
—Jordan Rice, Discover Magazine, 15 July 2016
The upper layer appears red to green in color while the underlying layer appears cyan to purple in color.
—Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2012
As the sky turns from orange to pink to purple, the world is bathed in a peaceful tranquility.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023
This pick changes from gray to purple to green in different lighting.
—Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Dec. 2022
Adjective
There are over 40 prints and solid colors to choose from, like a purple and white floral, turquoise paisley, and red and pink floral, in sizes XS–5X.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Peonies' fragrant flowers come in red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, and white.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
Some wallflowers also have red, white or purple blooms, and the plants will reseed to grow back in the spring.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is typically the hardest one to deduce.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Symptoms of meningococcal bloodstream infections include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, diarrhea and in later stages, a dark purple rash.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
Certainly, the delicious costuming by Mitchell Travers (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Hustlers) hints that something might be awry with Alice given her willingness to wear a purple, teal and blue plaid coordinating blouse and pedal pusher set that doesn’t quite suit her coloring.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
Last year, the fast food chain released adult Happy Meals and reintroduced the Hamburglar in April and Grimace in June with a special birthday meal and a purple shake.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Family members say their favorite colors were teal and purple, and ribbons in those colors have been used over the years in remembrance.
—Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Red, yellow, orange, pink, white and purple are just a few of the colors visitors will encounter in the fields.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
This pack comes in three color options: Gray, purple, and a multipack that includes two green, two blue, and two orange cloths.
—Jenna Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2024
The mesmerizing location also featured many colors as the lights changed from purple, to blue, green and orange.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
Deep crimson purple in the glass this delightful wine invites you in with aromas of dark chocolate, blueberry, and black plum.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
The Ube Ale is brewed with the purple yams used frequently in Filipino foods.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
For a London screening, Barrino stood out in a white Christian Siriano, opting not to embrace purple for the press tour.
—Carol McColgin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Out on the buzzing concourse ahead of showtime, the long merch-booth lines were a medley of tiaras and crop tops, sequined skirts and a whole bunch of purple — Rodrigo’s signature color.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024
It’s thought that one of the paintings from the Parsons show became the Josef Albers–esque Untitled (c. 1950–53), a side-by-side of rectangles in shades of purple.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
The issue causes the lights to transition from white to purple over time.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024
After exiting the stage for a handful of minutes, escorted by panicked staff, Malone returned to finish his performance – purpled sternum and all.
5.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 8 Dec. 2023
Sloe berries, purpled and clustered on blackthorn, their crushed velvet skin midnight after a summer of green.
—Lottie Hazell, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023
His eyes, blank and fierce, peered from under thick folds of heavy, purpled skin.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023
Color indicates distance from Earth, ranging from yellow on the near side of the slice to purple on the far side.
—Jordan Rice, Discover Magazine, 15 July 2016
The upper layer appears red to green in color while the underlying layer appears cyan to purple in color.
—Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2012
As the sky turns from orange to pink to purple, the world is bathed in a peaceful tranquility.
—Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2023
This pick changes from gray to purple to green in different lighting.
—Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English purpel, alteration of purper, from Old English purpuran of purple, genitive of purpure purple color, from Latin purpura, from Greek porphyra
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of purple was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing purple
Dictionary Entries Near purple
Cite this Entry
“Purple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/purple. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
purple
1 of 3 adjective
pur·ple
ˈpər-pəl
purpler
-p(ə-)lər
; purplest
-p(ə-)ləst
; purplest
-p(ə-)ləst
: of the color purple
purple
2 of 3 noun
: a color midway between red and blue
Medical Definition
purple
1 of 2 adjective
pur·ple
ˈpər-pəl
purpler
-p(ə-)lər
; purplest
-p(ə-)ləst
; purplest
-p(ə-)ləst
: of the color purple
purple
2 of 2 noun1
: any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
2
: a pigment or dye that colors purple see visual purple
More from Merriam-Webster on purple
Nglish: Translation of purple for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of purple for Arabic Speakers
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