What does pastel mean?
Pastel is a word used for both a pale, delicate color and the drawing medium made with pigmented sticks. In ordinary fashion, design, and art criticism, it describes soft, muted shades such as pale pink, lavender, or light blue. These colors can evoke gentleness, elegance, nostalgia, or an understated aesthetic, although the word can also be used dismissively when something appears faint or insubstantial. In artistic contexts, pastel refers to a distinctive medium valued for its fine lines, subtle shading, and rich, velvety color. The medium is traditionally applied with fingers, brushes, or other tools to paper or fabric. As an adjective, pastel is commonly found in combinations such as “pastel colors” and “pastel pink.” The word is understood throughout the English-speaking world, while pronunciation varies somewhat between British and American English.
A pale or delicate shade of color; the soft pigmented material used for drawing; an individual stick of this material; or a work made with it.
"The child chose a pastel from the box and blended it carefully into the page."
The material and color senses are commonly uncountable, while individual sticks and finished works can be counted.
Pale, soft-colored, or characterized by muted and delicate shades.
"She painted the room in pastel green, with white wooden furniture."
The attributive use, as in “pastel blue” and “pastel tones,” is much more common than a predicative use.
Use the plural for individual pastel sticks, pastel drawings, or pastel paintings. “Pastel” remains uncountable when referring generally to the medium or to a pale color category.
"The exhibition brought together several pastels by artists from across Europe."
Before modern paint tubes and colored pencils, pastel was a compact stick of pigment that could be blended directly on the paper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pastel come from?
English borrowed the word from French pastel, a diminutive related to “paste.” The French word is generally traced through Italian to Latin pasta, meaning “paste” or “dough,” referring to the soft material used to make drawing sticks. From an artistic medium, the word developed a broader color sense and came to denote pale, delicate shades generally.
Related word forms
How pastel is actually used
In art, pastel can name the material as an uncountable medium, an individual stick, or a finished work. As an adjective, it normally precedes a noun, as in “pastel blue” or “pastel tones,” and often suggests delicacy, softness, or muted restraint rather than strong visual impact.
Easily confused with pastel
A pastel is a pale color or a stick of drawing medium, whereas a pastille is a small medicated lozenge or, in some contexts, a small aromatic preparation.