Violet Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms Violet 1 American [vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt / Also Violette

noun

1. a female given name.

violet 2 American [vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

noun

1. any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.

2. any such plant except the pansy and the viola.

3. the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

4. any of various similar plants of other genera.

5. reddish-blue, a color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red, an effect of light with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers.

adjective

1. of the color violet; reddish-blue.

   violet hats.

violet British / ˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

1. any of various temperate perennial herbaceous plants of the violaceous genus Viola, such as V. odorata ( sweet (or garden ) violet ), typically having mauve or bluish flowers with irregular showy petals

2. any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet

4. 1. any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same purplish-blue hue. They lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to blue; approximate wavelength range 445–390 nanometres

   2. ( as adjective )

      a violet dress

5. a dye or pigment of or producing these colours

6. violet clothing

   dressed in violet

7. informal a shy person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 violet Idioms

1. see shrinking violet.

Usage

violet flower A violet is a flower known for its vibrant bluish-purple color (the basis of the name of the color violet).The name violet can refer to any flower in the genus Viola, some of which are other colors (including blue, yellow, and white) or are variegated. The most well-known variety is called the common blue violet. The violet family contains many different species of plants, including trees and shrubs.The violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. It’s also one of the February birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone).Violets are often said to represent modesty. The idiom shrinking violet refers to someone who is shy or (overly) modest.Example: For my birthday, my wife always gives me a bouquet of beautiful violets.

Other Word Forms

• violet-like adjective

Etymology

Origin of violet

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; -et

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.

As Thor had his breakfast, the sky turned violet and pink, then orangey red.

From Literature

I dream of lizards, dark skies, sand dunes and sunsets streaked in rose-mauve and smoky violet, the air heavy with the scent of wet creosote and campfire smoke.

From Los Angeles Times

Dad took the time to shade the feathers in deep black and violet pencil, so that the bird’s wings seem to ripple with motion.

From Literature

The show opened with a series of violet, green and silver sequined tops in a 1920s style -- reproductions of a bodice designed by early 20th-century French designer Paul Poiret who Anderson namechecked as inspiration.

From Barron's

The consensus was someone who is warm, funny, loud, brash and larger than life, with jokes for the children and adults alike but they cannot be a shrinking violet.

From BBC

Related Words

• color
• lavender
• lilac
• mauve
• periwinkle
• plum

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.