What does "chromatic" mean?
Uses relating to colour; Characterized or caused by, or relating to, colour or hue.
Chromatic
/kɹəˈmæt.ɪk/ adj
adj ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Uses relating to colour; Characterized or caused by, or relating to, colour or hue.
- Grammar: chromatic is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: cold, color based, color cards, color dispersion.
- Useful contrasts: achromatic, colorless, diatonic.
- Usage evidence: To the chagrin of many Western composers, steel drums, or steelpans, tend not to be fully chromatic.
How to use "chromatic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chromatic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chromatic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chromatic" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chromatic" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cold" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chromatic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Uses relating to colour; Characterized or caused by, or relating to, colour or hue. not-comparable, usually
- 2 Relating to chromatin (“a complex of DNA, RNA, and proteins within the cell nucleus out of which chromosomes condense during cell division”). not-comparable
"Each nucleus has, then, (1) a protoplasmic body, and (2) a portion formed of nuclein, which is the chromatin of [Walther] Flemming. […] The chromatic reticulum of Flemming is only an appearance due to the regular crossing of its convolutions, rarely to their temporary union."
- 3 Uses relating to colour; Brightly coloured; colourful, vivid. comparable, not-comparable, usually
- 4 Uses relating to colour; Having the capacity to separate spectral colours by refraction. not-comparable, usually
- 5 Uses relating to colour; Relating to colorings of graphs. not-comparable, usually
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 One of three types of tetrachord (the others being the diatonic and enharmonic), with an interval between half and four-fifths of the total interval of a tetrachord. historical, not-comparable, usually
- 7 Relating to or using notes not belonging to the diatonic scale of the key in which a passage of music is written. not-comparable, usually
"All the intervals of the scale that are a whole tone (step) distant from each other may be divided into half tones, (small steps), forming an entire scale of small intervals, (half tones), called the Chromatic Scale. […] All the tones (steps) of the scale being thus divided, either by means of the sharp or flat, we shall have for our Chromatic Scale thirteen intervals, of a half tone (small step) each."
Adjective
- 1 being or having or characterized by hue wordnet
- 2 based on a scale consisting of 12 semitones wordnet
- 3 able to refract light without spectral color separation wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"To the chagrin of many Western composers, steel drums, or steelpans, tend not to be fully chromatic."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chromatic"?
Common synonyms include: cold, color based, color cards, color dispersion, color feature, color motif.
How do you use "chromatic" in a sentence?
To the chagrin of many Western composers, steel drums, or steelpans, tend not to be fully chromatic.
How do you pronounce "chromatic"?
Pronounced /kɹəˈmæt.ɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French chromatique (“chromatic”) or directly from its etymon Latin chrōmaticus, from Ancient Greek χρωματικός (khrōmatikós, “relating to colour; one of the three types of tetrachord in Greek music”), from χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour; pigment; chromatic scale in music; music”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to grind; to rub; to stroke; to remove”), perhaps in the sense of the grinding of pigments) + -τῐκός (-tĭkós, suffix forming adjectives); analysable as chroma + -tic.
Etymology 2
From chromatin + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives from nouns).