Greenish

/ˈɡriːnɪʃ/

adjectiveBeginner📊CommonDescriptive
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

Having a slight shade of green; somewhat green.

/ˈɡriːnɪʃ/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
Descriptive

Having a slightly green color

The leaves on the tree were a greenish color.

💡 Simply: Imagine a color that's almost, but not quite, green. It's got a hint of green, like if you mixed a tiny bit of green paint into another color. For example, imagine your walls are *greenish*, but there is a little other color mixed in.

👶 For kids: A little bit green, but not totally green.

More Examples

2

The sky had a greenish glow after the storm.

3

The painting used a greenish pigment.

How It's Used

Color description

"The apple had a greenish hue, hinting it wasn't quite ripe."

Nature

"The lake's water had a greenish tint due to algae growth."

From "green" + "-ish". "Green" derives from Old English "grēne", related to the Proto-Germanic "*grōniz" (growing, green). The suffix "-ish" indicates "somewhat" or "resembling".

The word 'greenish' has been used in English since the early 18th century, appearing with increasing frequency in descriptions of color and the natural world.

Memory tip

Think of a green apple, but a little bit less green - greenish!

Word Origin

LanguageOld English/Proto-Germanic
Original meaning

"Relating to the color green, or the appearance of something resembling the color green; the suffix indicates 'somewhat'"

greenish tingegreenish huegreenish colorgreenish appearance

Common misspellings

greeneshgreenihs

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written