greyish

Everyday

1. A little bit grey; a colour that is close to grey but not quite. tree →
2. Of hair, sky, light, etc.: starting to look grey. tree →

In the lessons

In science and art it helps describe colours exactly: «greyish rock», «greyish-blue». In stories it sets a dull, cloudy or sad mood: «a greyish morning». The ending «-ish» means «rather, somewhat», as in «reddish», «smallish», «sevenish».

Examples

• The sky was greyish before the rain began. tree →
• The rock in our sample was greyish with white spots. tree →
• The puppy has greyish fur on its nose. tree →
• Grandpa's hair is getting greyish. tree →
• The pond water looked greyish and cloudy. tree →
• I mixed white and black paint to get a greyish colour. tree →
• Her eyes are greyish-green. tree →
• Lun also means a greyish light. tree →

Note

Spelling: «grey» and «greyish» in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; «gray» and «grayish» in the USA. Both are correct. «-ish» makes a word less exact: «greyish» is not fully grey.