What does recoloring mean?
Recoloring means giving something a new color by covering, dyeing, painting, or digitally altering its existing color. It is especially common when discussing fabric, clothing, hair, furniture, walls, photographs, or digital images. For example, a tailor may recolor a pale garment to make it darker, while an editor may recolor the sky in a landscape photograph. The prefix "re-" indicates that the object already has a color and is being given another. Recoloring can sometimes suggest a creative transformation rather than routine maintenance: it may extend the useful life of a familiar object or produce a striking visual change. The word is standard in US English, while British English generally spells it "recolouring."
verbTo apply a different color to something, such as fabric, hair, a wall, or another surface. It can also mean to change the appearance of something by covering or altering its original color.
- To change the color of something by applying a different color or finish.
- To alter the appearance of something so that it looks different, especially by changing its color.
"They decided to recolor the old cabinets rather than replace them."
"The designer recolored the fabric in deep green."
"After the photograph was printed, she recolored the sky to make it look more dramatic."
Recoloring gives a second life to familiar objects without the waste of replacing them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does recoloring come from?
Recoloring combines the prefix "re-", meaning again, with "color" and the present participle ending "-ing." Color ultimately comes through Old French from the Latin word "color," a term associated with complexion or appearance. The prefix in recoloring has the specific sense of doing something anew, so the word denotes applying color where some color or appearance already exists.
Related word forms
How recoloring is actually used
The spelling is standard in US English; British English normally uses "recolouring." The word is common in home decoration, fashion, craft, and digital-image editing, where it often implies changing the color of an existing object rather than coloring an uncolored surface.
Easily confused with recoloring
Coloring can refer broadly to the act or result of using color, whereas recoloring specifically means changing an existing color.