polychromatic
/ˌpɑlikɹəˈmætɪk/
polychromatic means showing a variety, or a change, of colours; having many colours. It carries an Arena rating of 1505, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, polychromatic ranks #6,052 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #6,116 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #6,545 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #7,406 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
polychromatic is pronounced /ˌpɑlikɹəˈmætɪk/.
Why “polychromatic” is a great word
Having or exhibiting a variety of colors, or composed of light of more than one wavelength. From Greek poly- ("many") + chrōmatikos ("pertaining to color"), from chrōma ("color"). First recorded in English use 1840–50. Unlike "monochromatic," which denotes a stark singularity of hue, or "variegated," which describes a surface pattern of distinct patches, polychromatic is the essential state of prismatic profusion. It is the shattered spectrum of oil on wet pavement, the iridescent throat of a hummingbird catching the sun, and the silent, shifting spectacle of the northern lights—the world's refusal to be reduced to a single note.
Etymology
From poly- + chromatic.
adj
- Showing a variety, or a change, of colours; having many colours.e.g.“With our water goggles adjusted we gazed at the fishes displaying their polychromatic scales to the sea world, as, with true Puka-Pukan languor, they finned from coral to coral.” — 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 76:
- Composed of more than one wavelength.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.