gray

Other forms: graying; grays; grayer; grayed; grayest

Because the color gray is between black and white — actually a mix of the two — it is often used to denote something dull or monotonous. When the sun comes out after a long stretch of gray days, you suddenly feel alive again. Everybody to the beach!

You might feel old when you see your gray hairs, but I think they make you look wise and distinguished. Because gray is dull and indistinct, you can refer to something not quite clear as being "in a gray area." You often find some gray area between right and wrong . . . especially when you are accused of doing something wrong. Don’t worry about the British spelling "grey": it’s interchangeable with the American English spelling.

Definitions of gray

1. adjective

   of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
   “gray flannel suit”

   synonyms: grayish, grey, greyish

   achromatic, neutral

   having no hue
2. noun

   a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
   synonyms: grayness, grey, greyness

   types:

   ash gray, ash grey, silver, silver gray, silver grey

   a light shade of grey

   charcoal, charcoal gray, charcoal grey, oxford gray, oxford grey

   a very dark grey color

   dapple-gray, dapple-grey, dappled-gray, dappled-grey

   grey with a mottled pattern of darker grey markings

   iron-gray, iron-grey

   the color of freshly broken cast iron

   tattletale gray, tattletale grey

   a greyish white

   Davy's gray, Davy's grey, iron blue, steel gray, steel grey

   slightly purplish or bluish dark grey

   type of:

   achromatic color, achromatic colour

   a color lacking hue; white or grey or black
3. verb

   make grey
   synonyms: grey

   type of:

   color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour, colour in, colourise, colourize

   add color to
4. verb

   turn grey
   synonyms: grey

   type of:

   color, colour, discolor, discolour

   change color, often in an undesired manner
5. noun

   clothing that is a grey color
   synonyms: grey

   type of:

   article of clothing, clothing, habiliment, vesture, wear, wearable

   a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
6. noun

   any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are grey
   synonyms: grey

   types:

   Army of the Confederacy, Confederate Army

   the southern army during the American Civil War

   type of:

   organisation, organization

   a group of people who work together
7. adjective

   used to signify the Confederate forces in the American Civil War (who wore grey uniforms)
   synonyms: grey

   southern

   in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
8. adjective

   showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
   synonyms: gray-haired, gray-headed, grey, grey-haired, grey-headed, grizzly, hoar, hoary, white-haired

   old

   (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
9. adjective

   intermediate in character or position
   synonyms: grey

   intermediate

   lying between two extremes in time or space or state
10. noun

    horse of a light gray or whitish color
    synonyms: grey

    type of:

    mount, riding horse, saddle horse

    a lightweight horse kept for riding only
11. noun

    the SI unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation; equal to the absorption of one joule of radiation energy by one kilogram of matter; one gray equals 100 rad
    synonyms: Gy

    type of:

    radioactivity unit

    a measure of radioactivity