What does decoloured mean?
Decoloured is a British-spelled adjective and verb form meaning that something has had its colour removed or has been made colourless. It can describe a physical result, as in decoloured fabric or a decoloured chemical solution, or function as the past tense and past participle of the verb decolour. The word is especially associated with bleaching, chemical treatment, photography, and laboratory work, although it can be used more generally for anything that has lost its colour. In American English, the equivalent spelling is usually decolored. Decoloured is more precise than simply saying that something has faded: fading generally suggests a gradual loss or weakening of colour, whereas decoloured suggests that the colour has been removed altogether.
Having had its colour removed; made colourless.
"The decoloured liquid was poured into a labelled container."
Common in technical and descriptive contexts; the American spelling is 'decolored'.
Removed the colour from something, especially by bleaching or chemical treatment.
"The peroxide decoloured the cotton before the stain was treated."
This is the past tense and past participle of 'decolour'; American English usually uses 'decolor'.
Decoloured captures that dramatic moment when a splash of colour is completely erased.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does decoloured come from?
The word belongs to the British English family formed from de- and colour, and its underlying verb is related to French décolorer and Latin decolorare, both meaning to remove or take away colour. The development of the British -our spelling reflects the established spelling convention for colour and its derivatives. The American form decolored reflects the usual simplification of -our to -or in words of this type.
How decoloured is actually used
The spelling is chiefly British, while the corresponding American spelling is 'decolored'. The word is especially common in technical contexts such as chemistry, textiles, photography, and materials science, but it can also be used descriptively in ordinary writing.
Easily confused with decoloured
Decoloured means made colourless, whereas discoloured usually means changed in colour, often becoming stained or uneven in appearance.