colorist

1 of 2

noun

col·​or·​ist ˈkə-lə-rist 

-lər-ist

plural colorists

: one that colors or deals with color

colorist

2 of 2

adjective

: prejudiced against people with dark skin

specifically : showing favor to light-skinned people over those with darker skin within a racial or ethnic group

Over the weekend, Khloé Kardashian faced a particularly vicious bout of cyberbullying that might be among the most inappropriate yet, since commenters began leaving racist and colorist comments about her five-month-old daughter, True Thompson.

—Andrea Park

Examples of colorist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s something just so alluring about red hair, which is why celebrity hair colorist Jacob Schwartz, who counts the likes of Margot Robbie, Brie Larson, and Sydney Sweeney as regular clientele, says that vibrant hues of this popular hair color will continue to be huge for spring. —Audrey Noble, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2025

Ahead, see 25 of the best chestnut hair colors to try, according to stylists and colorists. —Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 23 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The entire encounter made Whitfield unwatchable from now on and revealed a colorist dynamic among the rest of the group. —Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Back in 2021, a video surfaced of her and Too $hort chatting on Instagram Live, which led to him apologizing for his seemingly colorist stance. —Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French coloriste, from Latin color color entry 1 + French -iste -ist entry 1

Adjective

color entry 1 + -ist entry 2 (after racist entry 1, sexist, etc.)

First Known Use

Noun

1685, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1990, in the meaning defined above