pastel 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of pastelnext
as in pale
lacking intensity of color a pastel blue to go with the pale pink walls

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pastel

2 of 2

noun

as in watercolor

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pastel
Adjective
Kim Kardashian is making a case for pastel pink in the paddock. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026 Jennifer Coolidge, who played the ambitious and brassy realtor who donned pastel-colored power suits, is back for the second season. — Peter White, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
While the pastel was trending earlier this year, it’s officially been overtaken by its more summery sister. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 24 June 2026 Among pop-up bars, bandstands and opulent, 19th century spa buildings painted in sherbet pastels, the Karlovy Vary Intl. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pastel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastel
  1. pale
  2. watercolor
  3. faded
  4. drawing
  5. light
  6. gouache
  7. tempera
  8. acrylic
Adjective
  • But most visitors were gathered around one explosively colorful painting in swirling shades of light and dark blue, bottle green, and pale gold.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, the surrounding sky darkens, increasing the contrast until the pale daytime moon seems to switch on at dusk and grow increasingly brilliant.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pale
Noun
  • Another is a loose watercolor that resembles a Color Field painting, rather than the technique typically associated with Basquiat.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The artist complicates the photographs further by painting over them with ink and watercolor.
    — Erin Parish, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of watercolor
Adjective
  • At the denouement, Kember is completely alone, his flat, narcotized baritone dripping onto the faded guitar notes like melted mercury.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The Fly Faster Tee uses heavyweight cotton jersey with a faded finish, while the Patch Tee receives a heavy enzyme wash.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of faded
Noun
  • More than 265,000 other tickets sold in the United States also won prizes ranging from $10 to $50,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The exhibition culminates with the Future Indicative (1977), collaging Krasner’s figure drawings.
    — John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of drawing
Adjective
  • In modern nuclear weapons, conventional explosives set off a fission reaction—the splitting of big atoms—whose intensity then ignites a fusion reaction that combines light atoms.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Birkin asked her seatmate why the company didn’t yet make a handbag that was bigger than the Kelly, but smaller and lighter than the Hermès’s Haut à Courroies, which her ex Serge Gainsbourg had carried for years.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of light
Noun
  • Christie’s estimates the large, rare tempera and gouache painting of a festive, folkloric Russian scene, which Kandinsky made in Paris, will fetch over $30 million.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The tarot is a full 78-card deck, with each card an original work of art, usually a composite of gouache painting and collage/lithography.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of gouache
Noun
  • Christie’s estimates the large, rare tempera and gouache painting of a festive, folkloric Russian scene, which Kandinsky made in Paris, will fetch over $30 million.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • This will be followed by a final period in Florence to learn the technique and historical evolution of egg tempera, to acquire ancient handweaving skills and expand her knowledge of its applications in the ecclesiastic context.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
Definition of tempera
Noun
  • With iPolish, a single set of smart press-on acrylic nails can switch between hundreds of colors in seconds using electronic display technology.
    — Nina Derwin, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The most water-repellent plastics, polyethylene and polypropylene, were the most active, while PET and acrylic, which contain chemical groups that attract water, were the least.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of acrylic

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Cite this Entry

“Pastel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastel. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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