blackish

Everyday

1. Nearly black, or black with a little of another colour in it. tree →
2. Rather dark and dirty-looking. tree →

In the lessons

A describing word for colour, used in science (the colour of a rock, a beetle or a bird), in art and in stories to paint a dark, gloomy picture. The ending «-ish» means «rather» or «a bit», as in greenish, reddish, smallish. In stories a blackish river, sky or wood often warns of danger or bad weather.

Examples

• The beetle had a blackish shell with a green shine. tree →
• The pond water looked blackish under the trees. tree →
• Blackish clouds rolled in before the storm. tree →
• The burnt toast was blackish at the edges. tree →
• Some crows look blackish blue in the sun. tree →
• We tested the blackish mud and found it full of rotting leaves. tree →
• The Mole peered into the blackish depths of the Wild Wood. tree →

Note

Built from «black» + «-ish» (= rather, somewhat). It is an adjective only; say «a blackish stone», not «a blackish». Other colour words take the same ending: brownish, greyish (UK) / grayish (US), yellowish. «Blackish» is less than fully black.