reddish

[ red-ish ]

adjective

1. somewhat red; tending to red; tinged with red.

ˈreddish

/ ˈrɛdɪʃ /

adjective

1. somewhat red

Derived Forms

• ˈreddishness, noun
• ˈreddishly, adverb

Other Words From

• reddish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reddish¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, reddish is from the Middle English word redische. See red ¹, -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Discovery asked to use depicts “Blade Runner 2049” star Ryan Gosling walking away from the camera across a desolate, dystopian landscape reduced to rubble and reddish dirt.

From Los Angeles Times

“A lot of smoke was being whipped up, and it had this reddish hue to it. … Just for the sake of my lungs, I probably need to get out of here,” he recalled thinking.

From Los Angeles Times

It will appear even bigger and brighter - perhaps with a reddish tinge - as it rises or falls near the horizon.

From BBC

The challenge was to dispel the research team's suspicions and confirm that the reddish liquid really was wine rather than a liquid that was once wine but had lost many of its essential characteristics.

From Science Daily

Ceanothus blooms also don’t last much longer than a day once they’re cut, and manzanitas, large shrubs with reddish limbs and dainty bell-shaped flowers, “are just too precious” to potentially damage by cutting, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Reddish

What does reddish mean?

Reddish describes something that is somewhat red or tinted red, as in After washing my shirt hundreds of times, it’s gone from red to merely reddish.

The color red is a primary color at one end of the visible spectrum and is the color of human blood. Something that is reddish is not fully red.

Example: The sky turned a reddish color as the moon began obscuring the sun.

Where does reddish come from?

The first records of the term reddish come from the 1300s. It comes from the Middle English redische. It combines the term red, a color that resembles the color of blood, and the suffix –ish, which means “somewhat like.”

Reddish can be used to describe a color that is between red and white, or at least between red and a very light color. It can also be used to describe a color that is between two colors, one of them being red, such as reddish-orange or reddish-purple. Because of the way the color spectrum is viewed, reddish is generally only applied to colors between orange and purple because reddish-blue is purple, reddish-yellow is orange, and reddish combined with any other color is simply brown.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to reddish? 

• redishness (noun)

What are some synonyms for reddish?

• bronzed
• crimson
• florid
• flushed
• pink

What are some words that share a root or word element with reddish?

• red

What are some words that often get used in discussing reddish?

• color
• hue
• light
• shade
• tint

How is reddish used in real life?

Reddish is mostly commonly used to describe the color of something as being somewhat red.

This morning I sat with a cup of coffee taking in the beauty of a reddish orange sunrise and counted my blessings. A quiet time and a reminder that moments like this are part of life’s treasures.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) February 5, 2019

yard work on Mars consists of raking the bits of reddish brown rock away from the other bits of reddish brown rock

— bill wurtz (@billwurtz) April 5, 2019

So, I understand why green is very common in nature. Why does it seem like plants have a second favorite color which is something like reddish purple?

— Zach Weinersmith (@ZachWeiner) May 2, 2020

 

 

Try using reddish!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for reddish?

A. crimson
B. rosy
C. claret
D. bluish