Hue
noun /hjuː/ — A colour or shade; the attribute of colour itself
Definition
A colour or shade — more precisely, the attribute that distinguishes one colour from another (red from blue from green), as distinct from its saturation or brightness.
Beyond the definition
The precise naming of colour. Hue is the word painters and writers reach for when they need to name colour as a phenomenon — not just 'blue' but the blue-ness itself, the character of the colour.
Origin & history
From Old English 'hīw' (colour, complexion, form) — related to Gothic 'hiwi' (form, appearance). One of the oldest English colour words — appearance as the fundamental quality that colour names.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The hue of the sky at that hour was neither blue nor green but something for which she had no word.
Painters mix hues precisely because small differences in the dominant colour change everything about a painting's mood.
In colour theory, hue, saturation, and value are the three dimensions of colour — hue is which colour, saturation is how much, value is how light or dark.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Hue” when the meaning fits your context: A colour or shade — more precisely, the attribute that distinguishes one colour from another (red from blue from green), as distinct from its saturation or brightness.
Synonyms
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Swirling Pigments on Palette
An artist's palette shows distinct colors that are being blended into new, unique shades as the brush moves across.
Each distinct color on the palette acts as a hue, representing the core attribute that distinguishes one color from another in their purest form.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Hue" mean?
Hue is noun meaning: A colour or shade; the attribute of colour itself. A colour or shade — more precisely, the attribute that distinguishes one colour from another (red from blue from green), as distinct from its saturation or brightness.
Where does the word "Hue" come from?
From Old English 'hīw' (colour, complexion, form) — related to Gothic 'hiwi' (form, appearance). One of the oldest English colour words — appearance as the fundamental quality that colour names.