Vermillion
noun / adjective /vəˈmɪl.jən/ — A brilliant red-orange pigment
Definition
A brilliant scarlet red — tending toward orange, vivid and unambiguous. One of the oldest and most precious of the red pigments, originally made from cinnabar.
Beyond the definition
The red that insists on itself. Vermillion cannot be ignored — it does not exist in the background.
Origin & history
From Old French 'vermillon' — from 'vermeil' (bright red), from Latin 'vermiculus' (little worm) — because the original red dye came from a scale insect (Kermes vermilio).
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The Japanese lacquer was vermillion — the red of it stopped conversation.
The bride wore vermillion in the traditional sense — the colour that drives away bad fortune.
Vermillion is the red that painters feared: the original pigment (cinnabar) was toxic.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Vermillion” when the meaning fits your context: A brilliant scarlet red — tending toward orange, vivid and unambiguous. One of the oldest and most precious of the red pigments, originally made from cinnabar.
Synonyms
scarlet, crimson, red-orange, bright red
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
Vivid Potential of Pigments
An artist's palette holds swirling, multi-coloured pigments, with vivid reds and oranges blending into new, subtle shades as a brush moves.
Vermillion is a brilliant, unambiguous scarlet red. The artist's palette, filled with thick, bright pigments, acts as a visual analogy for the strength of vermillion: its vivid, unambiguous presence among other shades highlights its role as a precious, distinct colour that asserts itself immediately in a composition.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Vermillion" mean?
Vermillion is noun / adjective meaning: A brilliant red-orange pigment. A brilliant scarlet red — tending toward orange, vivid and unambiguous. One of the oldest and most precious of the red pigments, originally made from cinnabar.
Where does the word "Vermillion" come from?
From Old French 'vermillon' — from 'vermeil' (bright red), from Latin 'vermiculus' (little worm) — because the original red dye came from a scale insect (Kermes vermilio).