German word

bunt

Pronunciation

IPA/bʊnt/

Meaning

  • adjectivecolorful

Example

Die Kinder tragen bunte Kleidung.

The children are wearing colorful clothes.

Illustration for bunt (colorful)

More examples

Im Zoo gibt es bunte Vögel.

There are colorful birds at the zoo.

Core concept

A lively patchwork of colors that draws attention at once.

Common phrases

  • bunte Kleidung

    colorful clothes

  • bunte Socken

    colorful socks

  • in bunten Farben

    in colorful colors

Similar words

mehrfarbig: Made up of multiple colors, with focus on the number of colors used.
farbig: Colored rather than plain, without suggesting vividness or variety.
leuchtend: Bright, vivid, and seemingly radiant in appearance.
knallig: Strikingly vivid and showy, with colors that stand out strongly.

Definition in German

In vielen unterschiedlichen Farben vorkommend; farbenreich und auffällig.

Word origin

The adjective continues an inherited Germanic word found as Old High German bunt, with a long-standing meaning connected to varied or marked color.

Usage tips

  • In context, bunt often carries a stronger eye-catching or flashy nuance than neutral English colorful, especially for clothing or decoration.

Other meanings

  • vividadjective
  • flashyadjective
  • diverseadjective

Opposites

  • einfarbigmonochromeadjective
  • farbloscolorlessadjective

Related words

  • Buntstiftcolored pencilnoun
  • buntgemustertcolorfully patternedadjective

Word lists with this word