The following list of color descriptors are good for helping you describe your character, equipment, use in character stories, etc. If you think of a descriptor to add, don’t hesitate to let us know.
Color Descriptors
COLORS (S – skin, E – Eye, H – Hair () – General)
[tabby title=”White”]
(SE) alabaster: pale, yellowish-pink to yellowish-gray
(H) bleach blonde: washed out, whitish-blond
(SEH) bone: white, ivory, the color of bone
(SE) chalky: white, gray, or yellowish. The color of
a sick person.
(S) cream: creamy white
(SE) eggshell: white or light brown
(SE) ivory: creamy-white
(SEH) marble: white or pink, usually.
(SEH) milky: white or smooth
(SEH) salt: the color of salt, white
(SEH) white: you guessed it.
[tabby title=”Blk”]
(SEH) black: opposite of white?
(SEH) blue-black: so black it shines blue in the light
(SEH) coal: black
(SEH) ebony: dark brown or black
(SE) humus: rich, soil-brown or black
(SEH) inky-black, inky, ink-black or ink: black, the color of ink
(SEH) jet: black, flat black
(SEH) lignite: brownish-black
(SEH) metal: black or gray
(SEH) midnight: black or dark. Can be applied to a dark color
as in midnight blue, midnight purple
(SEH) onyx: flat black, the color of onyx
(SEH) obsidian: very dark or black
(SEH) pitch: black
(SEH) raven: black
(SEH) tar: black
[tabby title=”Blue”]
blue (E) azure: sky blue
(E) baby blue: very light to a very pale greenish or
purplish blue.
(E) celestial blue: sky blue
(E) cobalt: deep, vivid blue or strong, greenish blue.
(EH) dove gray: grayish blue, grayish-brown
(E) electric blue: bright, almost glowing blue.
(E) gentian: blue.
(E) hyacinth: deep, purplish-blue to vivid violet
(E) indigo: dark blue to grayish, purplish-blue
(E) juniper: grey-blue, the color of juniper berries.
(E) lapis lazuli: sky blue to deep blue
(E) misty blue: very light blue.
(E) periwinkle: light, purplish-blue
(E) powder blue: medium to pale blue.
(E) prussian blue: medium to dark blue.
(E) royal blue, royal purple: deep shade of the
color (blue/purple)
(E) sapphire: blue (dark)
(E) sky blue: see azure
(EH) smoke: gray-blue
[tabby title=”Red”]
red (H) auburn: reddish-brown, like thick copper
(SEH) blood: red, the color of blood.
(SE) bronze: reddish-brown
(E) cinibar: a brilliant, bright red (vermillion)
(SEH) cinnamon: brownish-red
(SEH) copper: the color of copper. Reddish-orange
(SEH) crimson: deep red
(SEH) dusty road: light brown, light brownish-red
(SEH) fire: the color of fire, red
(EH) garnet: a brownish-red, the color of garnet
(E) hazel: reddish-brown or yellowish brown. Usually
flecked with green or gray.
(S) lobster red: severely sunburned
(E) magenta: a dark, reddish-purple
(SEH) mahogany: dark, reddish-brown or yellowish brown.
(EH) maroon: a dark and dull, brownish-red
(SEH) red: neunundneunzig rot ballons!
(SEH) rose: the color of a red rose.
(S) rosy: a pinkish red, also florid
(EH) ruby: thick red, the color of a ruby.
(SE) ruddy: healthy red. See also: flustered, florid
in the case of eyes, bloodshot.
(SEH) rufous: of a yellowish-red or brownish-red color.
(Use “rufous eyes” for example, NOT “eyes the
color of rufous”)
(SEH) rust: orange, reddish-brown, or reddish-yellow.
(SEH) sanguine: blood red
(SEH) scarlet: very bright blood red.
(SEH) sepia: dark, reddish-brown
(EH) tarnish(ed): usually applied to a color (tarnished brown),
used alone can represent a grey or red. Use with a metal.
(Ex. Hair the color of tarnished copper- (reddish-brown))
(EH) vermillion: a brilliant and bright red.
(SEH) wine: dark red, the color of red wine.
[tabby title=”Grn”]
green (E) cactus: the color of cactus
(E) chartreuse: yellowish-green
(E) grass: the color of grass
(E) green: the color of leaves.
(E) emerald: strong, yellowish-green, deep green
(E) leaf: the color of leaves
(E) jade: pale green.
(E) moss: green.
(E) olive green: light to medium green.
(E) teal: medium or dark bluish-green
(E) terre verte: an olive green
(E) viridescent: greenish, green. (use “viridescent eyes”,
NOT “eyes the color of viridescent”)
[tabby title=”Yelw”]
yellow (SEH) amber: the color of amber, yellowish orange
(H) bleach blonde: washed out, whitish-blond
(H) blonde: yellow, the color of honey
(H) flaxen: blonde, yellow.
(SEH) ginger: sandy or reddish-brown
(SEH) golden: yellowish or yellow-brown
(E) hawk brown: yellowish-brown, medium
brown, or grayish brown.
(H) hay: golden brown or tan
(SEH) honey: golden brown or yellow-brown
(SE) nubian: medium brown.
(SEH) ocher: dark yellow or reddish-brown
(SEH) russet: yellowish-brown, reddish-brown
(SEH) saffron: orange yellow
(SEH) sallow: sickly yellow or pale yellow.
(SEH) sandy: yellowish, grayish, or medium brown.
(SE) sienna: yellowish-brown. Burnt sienna is reddish-brown.
(H) straw: yellow
(SEH) tawny: brownish-yellow or tan.
(SEH) teakwood: yellowish-brown.
[tabby title=”Brn”]
brown (H) auburn: reddish-brown, like thick copper
(SE) biscuit: light, toasted brown
(SE) bronze: reddish-brown
(SEH) bronze: reddish-brown
(SEH) brown: The color of a lot of people’s hair.
(SEH) caramel: light or medium brown.
(SEH) coacoa: brown
(SEH) chestnut: rich brown.
(SEH) chocolate: brown, like chocolate
(SEH) cinnamon: brownish-red
(EH) dove gray: grayish blue, grayish-brown
(SEH) dun: dull, grayish brown.
(SEH) dusty road: light brown, light brownish-red
(SEH) ginger: sandy or reddish-brown
(SEH) golden: yellowish or yellow-brown
(E) hawk brown: yellowish-brown, medium brown, or
grayish brown.
(H) hay: golden brown or tan
(E) hazel: reddish-brown or yellowish brown. Usually
flecked with green or gray.
(SEH) honey: golden brown or yellow-brown
(SE) humus: rich, soil-brown or black
(SEH) kelp: the color of seaweed brown.
(S) leather: medium-dark brown, reddish-brown
(SEH) mahogany: dark, reddish-brown or yellowish brown.
(SEH) molasses: thick, dark brown.
(SE) nubian: medium brown.
(SEH) nut-brown/nutmeg: broad variability from light to
dark brown.
(SEH) ocher: dark yellow or reddish-brown
(SEH) olive: dark brown or black to yellow/greenish brown.
(SEH) russet: yellowish-brown, reddish-brown
(SEH) rust: orange, reddish-brown, or reddish-yellow.
(SEH) sable: rich brown
(SEH) sandalwood: light brown.
(SEH) sandy: yellowish, grayish, or medium brown.
(SEH) sepia: dark, reddish-brown
(SE) sienna: yellowish-brown. Burnt sienna is reddish-brown.
(SEH) sorrel: light brown or light, reddish-brown. like a dried
autumn leaf.
(EH) taupe: dark, brownish-gray; moleskin
(SEH) tawny: brownish-yellow or tan.
(SEH) teakwood: yellowish-brown.
(SH) wheat: tannish or brown
[tabby title=”Ornge”]
orange (EH) carrot: orange
(SEH) copper: the color of copper. Reddish-orange
(EH) henna: distinct, coppery-orange
(EH) ocher/ochre: yellowish-orange or reddish-orange
(EH) orange: … you know.. when you mix red and yellow?
(SEH) saffron: orange yellow
[tabby title=”Prple”]
purple (E) hyacinth: deep, purplish-blue to vivid violet
(E) indigo: dark blue to grayish, purplish-blue
(E) iris: light purple
(E) lavender: pale to light purple or very pale violet.
(E) lilac: pale or light to medium purple.
(E) magenta: a dark, purplish-red
() mauve: brilliant violet or purple, medium
reddish-purple
(E) puce: a brownish purple.
(E) purple: doesn’t rhyme.
(E) royal blue, royal purple: deep shade of the
color (blue/purple)
(E) twilight: dark purple
(E) violet: reddish-blue, purple.
[tabby title=”Gray”]
gray (SEH) ash: the color of ash. Mix with any color.
(ash blond)
(SEH) charcoal: dark gray
(EH) dove gray: grayish blue, grayish-brown
(SEH) dun: dull, grayish brown.
(H) salt and pepper: mixed black and gray. The step before becoming
wholly gray-haired.
(EH) silver: the color of silver, white-gray
(EH) slate: dark gray to bluish-gray
(EH) smoke: gray-blue
(E) smoked-glass: gray or dark gray
(SEH) soot: grayish-brown, black, gray
(EH) steel: dark gray to bluish gray
(EH) tarnish(ed): usually applied to a color
(tarnished brown), used alone can represent
a grey or red. Use with a metal.
(Ex. Hair the color of tarnished copper- (reddish-brown))
[tabby title=”Dark”]
other dark colors (SEH) dusky: dark, shadowy, as in deepening twilight.
(E) royal blue, royal purple: deep shade of the color
(blue/purple)
(E) umber: the color of shadow
[tabby title=”Light”]
other light colors (SEH) alabaster: pale, yellowish-pink to yellowish-gray
(SEH) ash: the color of ash. Mix with any color.
(ash blond)
(SEH) beige: off-white, VERY pale tan, ecru.
(SEH) bleached: can be used with any color to imply a shade of
the color that is severely brightened or washed-out.
(SEH) buff: light, yellowish-brown nearing pink, brown, or yellow
(SEH) chalky: white, gray, or yellowish. The color of
a sick person.
(SEH) ecru: the color of un-bleached silk or linen. VERY pale
tan/brown
(SEH) eggshell: white or light brown
(H) hay: golden brown or tan
(E) hazel: reddish-brown or yellowish brown. Usually flecked
with green or gray.
(SEH) marble: white or pink, usually.
(SE) peach: the color of a peach. A fleshy orange/pink.
(SE) pink: the opposite of purple?
(S) rosy: a pinkish red, see florid
(SH) wheat: tannish or brown
[tabby title=”Other”]
Other miscellaneous colors (E) hazel: reddish-brown or yellowish brown. Usually flecked
with green or gray.
(E) iridescent: having rainbow-like or shifting colors,
depending on the angle from which it is seen.
(SE) mottled: streaked, spotty, or blotchy.
[tabbyending]
Additional Color Words Chart:
