colouring

colouring — noun

1. the natural tones in somebody's skin, hair, and eyes that together give them the

1.名詞A2
釋義

the natural tones in somebody's skin, hair, and eyes that together give them their distinctive look.

例句

Leila inherited her mother's dark colouring and tall frame.

uncountable: 'colouring' takes singular verb

People with very fair colouring burn more easily in the sun.

collocation: fair colouring

同義詞
  • complexion

    focuses only on skin, not hair or eyes

  • looks

    broader — includes features beyond colour (e.g. bone structure)

  • appearance

    general term covering all visual aspects, not just colour

用法筆記

British spelling (US: coloring). This sense is uncountable and cannot be used in the plural.

常見錯誤

❌Her colourings are very striking.
✅Her colouring is very striking.
💡This sense is uncountable; do not add -s.
❌I love the coloring of her hair.' (using US spelling in a British context)
✅I love the colouring of her hair.
💡Use British spelling for consistency in British English contexts.

2. a natural or artificial ingredient that changes what colour a food or drink has.

2.名詞B1
釋義

a natural or artificial ingredient that changes what colour a food or drink has.

例句

Theo reads every label and avoids products with artificial colouring.

collocation: artificial colouring

This strawberry yoghurt gets its pink colouring from beetroot juice.

uncountable: general substance

同義詞
  • dye

    broader — used for textiles, hair, and other materials, not just food

  • pigment

    more technical; often refers to natural colour in plants or paint

  • additive

    broader — includes preservatives, flavourings, not just colour

用法筆記

British spelling (US: coloring). When referring to the substance in general, use uncountable ('artificial colouring'). When listing different types, use countable plural ('various colourings').

常見錯誤

❌This candy contains colour.' (when meaning artificial additive).
✅This candy contains colouring.
💡'Colour' is the general visual property; 'colouring' is the added substance.
❌I bought a food colouring at the shop.' (when the context mentions a bottle of red liquid).
✅I bought a food colouring at the shop.
💡'Food colouring' is correct as an uncountable reference to the type of product.

3. the set of colours that appear on or in something in nature, such as a plant, an

3.名詞A2
釋義

the set of colours that appear on or in something in nature, such as a plant, animal, or landscape.

例句

The butterfly's colouring helps it blend in with the tree bark.

uncountable describing natural camouflage

Scientists study the colouring of reef fish to understand mating signals.

同義詞
  • colouration

    more formal; common in scientific writing

  • hue

    refers to one specific colour, not the whole set

  • shade

    refers to a variation of one colour, not the overall colour scheme

用法筆記

British spelling (US: coloring). Uncountable. Common in biology and nature contexts. Often appears with seasonal or descriptive modifiers (autumn, winter, protective, bright).

常見錯誤

❌The colourings of autumn are beautiful.' (using plural).
✅The colouring of autumn is beautiful.
💡This sense is uncountable.
❌The colouring of the leaves are changing.
✅The colouring of the leaves is changing.
💡Subject is 'colouring' (singular), not 'leaves'.