These 240 Color Names Make the Best Color Thesaurus!

Need color names that inspire?

Wish you had a color thesaurus?

If you’re in search of more creative color names than the basic “red” or “blue,” you’re in luck! Here’s a cool color names infographic by Ingrid Sundberg.

I know you love color, so I wanted to share it with you!

Ingrid has purple hair – or perhaps I should say amethyst! She’s a YA writer and children’s book illustrator who says:

One of my ongoing word collections is of colors. I love to stop in the paint section of a hardware store and find new names for red or white or yellow.

Having a variety of color names at my fingertips helps me to create specificity in my writing. I can paint a more evocative image in my reader’s mind if I describe a character’s hair as the color of rust or carrot-squash, rather than red.

From The Color Thesaurus by Ingrid Sundberg.

So let’s get evocative with these creative color names!

20 best color names for white

1. white
2. pearl
3. alabaster
4. snow
5. ivory
6. cream
7. eggshell
8. cotton
9. chiffon
10. salt
11. lace
12. coconut
13. linen
14. bone
15. daisy
16. powder
17. frost
18. porcelain
19. parchment
20. rice

20 color name ideas for tan

1. tan
2. beige
3. macaroon
4. hazelwood
5. granola
6. oat
7. eggnog
8. fawn
9. sugar cookie
10. sand
11. sepia
12. ltte
13. oyster
14. biscotti
15. parmesan
16. hazelnut
17. sandcastle
18. buttermilk
19. sand dollar
20. shortbread

20 fun color names for yellow

1. yellow
2. canary
3. gold
4. daffodil
5. flaxen
6. butter
7. lemon
8. mustard
9. corn
10. medallion
11. dandelion
12. fire
13. bumblebee
14. banana
15. butterscotch
16. dijon
17. honey
18. blonde
19. pineapple
20. tuscan sun

Love colors? Check out these 33 Colorful Quotes and Pictures to Energize Your Life

20 awesome color names for orange

1. orange
2. tangerine
3. marigold
4. cider
5. rust
6. ginger
7. tiger
8. fire
9. bronze
10. cantaloupe
11. apricot
12. clay
13. honey
14. carrot
15. squash
16. spice
17. marmalade
18. amber
19. sandstone
20. yam

20 great color names for red

1. red
2. cherry
3. rose
4. jam
5. merlot
6. garnet
7. crimson
8. ruby
9. scarlet
10. wine
11. brick
12. apple
13. mahogany
14. blood
15. sangria
16. berry
17. currant
18. blush
19. candy
20. lipstick

20 prettiest color names for pink

1. pink
2. rose
3. fuchsia
4. punch
5. blush
6. watermelon
7. flamingo
8. rouge
9. salmon
10. coral
11. peach
12. strawberry
13. rosewood
14. lemonade
15. taffy
16. bubblegum
17. ballet slipper
18. crepe
19. magenta
20. hot pink

20 sophisticated color names for purple

1. purple
2. mauve
3. violet
4. boysenberry
5. lavender
6. plum
7. magenta
8. lilac
9. grape
10. periwinkle
11. sangria
12. eggplant
13. jam
14. iris
15. heather
16. amethyst
17. raisin
18. orchid
19. mulberry
20. wine

Lots of baby names in this one! Mauve, Violet, Iris and Heather.

This is my favorite color panel! What’s yours?

READ: What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

20 cool color names for blue

1. blue
2. slate
3. sky
4. navy
5. indigo
6. cobalt
7. teal
8. ocean
9. peacock
10. azure
11. cerulean
12. lapis
13. spruce
14. stone
15. aegean
16. berry
17. denim
18. admiral
19. sapphire
20. arctic

20 funky color names for green

Some good baby names in here too! My granddaughter is named Fern 🙂

Other good names are Sage, Basil, and Olive.

1. green
2. chartreuse
3. juniper
4. sage
5. lime
6. fern
7. olive
8. emerald
9. pear
10. moss
11. shamrock
12. seafoam
13. pine
14. parakeet
15. mint
16. seaweed
17. pickle
18. pistachio
19. basil
20. crocodile

20 unique color names for brown

1. brown
2. coffee
3. mocha
4. peanut
5. carob
6. hickory
7. wood
8. pecan
9. walnut
10. caramel
11. gingerbread
12. syrup
13. chocolate
14. tortilla
15. umber
16. tawny
17. brunette
18. cinnamon
19. penny
20. cedar

20 elegant color names for gray

1. grey
2. shadow
3. graphite
4. iron
5. pewter
6. cloud
7. silver
8. smoke
9. slate
10. anchor
11. ash
12. porpoise
13. dove
14. fog
15. flint
16. charcoal
17. pebble
18. lead
19. coin
20. fossil

20 amazing color names for black

How’s your eye for color? These are definitely hard to differentiate!

1. black
2. ebony
3. crow
4. charcoal
5. midnight
6. ink
7. raven
8. oil
9. grease
10. onyx
11. pitch
12. soot
13. sable
14. jet black
15. coal
16. metal
17. obsidian
18. jade
19. spider
20. leather

Color names conclusion and resources

Did you enjoy the color thesaurus?

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Pin the colorful infographic below and never be at a loss for color names again!

This color thesaurus was originally published September 2015 and updated in 2019 and 2020.