MEANING
To change, or cause something to change, from its original color, usually in an unwanted way.
Use it for
describing an old surface losing its original color; showing damp or smoke altering an object’s appearance; describing paper changed by age; avoiding an unsupported claim about the cause of a stainNames an unwanted alteration of original color without assuming fading, staining, or a particular chemical cause. Writing functions: Decay / Deterioration.
Words that belong together
- discolored paper
- water discolors the ceiling
- a discolored patch
On the page
Damp had discolored the ceiling around the sealed room.
The pages were discolored where flowers had lain between them.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- discolor
- Past tense
- discolored
- Past participle
- discolored
- Present participle
- discoloring
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- discolor
- Present continuous
- am/is/are discoloring
- Present perfect
- have/has discolored
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been discoloring
- Past
- discolored
- Past continuous
- was/were discoloring
- Past perfect
- had discolored
- Past perfect continuous
- had been discoloring
- Future
- will discolor
- Future continuous
- will be discoloring
- Future perfect
- will have discolored
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been discoloring
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Transitive or intransitive verb: discolors; discolored; discolored; discoloring. British discolour, discoloured, and discolouring are spelling variants of this entry, not separately counted words. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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