lilac
Americannoun
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lilacs
plural
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any of various shrubs belonging to the genus Syringa, of the olive family, as S. vulgaris, having large clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers: the state flower of New Hampshire.
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pale reddish purple.
adjective
noun
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Also called: syringa. any of various Eurasian oleaceous shrubs or small trees of the genus Syringa, esp S. vulgaris ( common lilac ) which has large sprays of purple or white fragrant flowers
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another name for goat's-rue
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a light or moderate purple colour, sometimes with a bluish or reddish tinge
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( as adjective )
a lilac carpet
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lilac
First recorded in 1615–25; from obsolete French, from Spanish, from Arabic līlak, from Persian līlak, assimilated variant of nīlak “bluish,” equivalent to nīl “blue, indigo” (from Sanskrit nīla ) + -ak a suffix indicating relationship or origin
Vocabulary lists containing lilac
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Purple
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
New piercing hubs now rolling out feature Claire’s new hero shade of lilac; bigger, comfier chairs than the ones of my youth; and an Inspiration Bar to help customers design their “ear stacks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The White House said the decor was inspired by English gardens, with the room featuring towering trees and blossoming boxes of lilac.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Infiniti oozed glamour in a lilac sleeveless Louis Vuitton dress with a fitted bodice and a cascade of ruffles tumbling from her hip to the floor, creating a long train.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
Following “the Sydney Cherkov way,” she wears a lilac blouse that telegraphs meek, demure energy.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
There would be lilac, and honeysuckle still, and the white magnolia buds unfolding slow and tight beneath the dining-room window.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
At Chiswick, staff were watering drooping camellias and lilacs, shrubs that normally thrive in sun.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Here are plants and flowers to enjoy, one for every month of the year, from lilacs, camellias and poinsettias to native buckwheat, wildflowers and toyon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2025
Follow your nose through a garden, and pay attention to what memories are triggered: spring lilacs and newly turned soil, freshly cut lawn and lazy summer days perfumed with lavender, the damp decay of autumn.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
She described her childhood within the island's forested expanse, making dirt-pies and chasing garter snakes next to "fragrant purple lilacs, sour grapes in vines strangling the trunks of tart green apple trees".
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2023
I could smell her next to me, the sweat and the algae from the moat, her shampoo like lilacs, and the smell of her skin like crushed almonds.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
