red
red
Pronunciation
/rɛd/.
/r/: This is the alveolar approximant, similar to the "r" sound in "run" or "road."
/ɛ/: This is the open-mid front unrounded vowel, similar to the "e" sound in "bed" or "head."
/d/: This is the voiced alveolar plosive, similar to the "d" sound in "dog" or "day."
Word Form Variations
Adjective:
red (basic form)
redder (comparative)
reddest (superlative)
Noun:
red (singular: referring to the color itself, or a red thing)
reds (plural: referring to multiple red things, different shades of red, or sometimes people associated with a red political affiliation)
Verb: (less common, but exists)
red (base form - e.g., to "red" a document with corrections, though "redline" is more common)
reds (third-person singular present)
redding (present participle)
redded (past tense/past participle)
Examples:
Adjective: The red car is new. That apple is redder than the other. This is the reddest rose I've ever seen.
Noun: I prefer the color red. The artist used many different reds in her painting.
Verb: He redded the errors in the manuscript. (Less common, usually "redlined")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition: Of a color at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet, typically evoked by light with a predominant wavelength of roughly 625–740 nanometers, and characteristic of blood, fire, and ripe strawberries.
Synonyms: scarlet, crimson, ruby, cherry, fiery, ruddy, flushed
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a color, but can be contrasted with other colors like) blue, green, yellow, colorless
Definition: (Of a person's face or body part) flushed or glowing with color, often due to emotion (like anger, embarrassment, or exertion) or heat.
Synonyms: blushing, flushed, rosy, ruddy, beet-red, crimson (with anger)
Antonyms: pale, white, ashen, pallid
Definition: (Figurative) Indicating danger, warning, or prohibition; often associated with urgent attention or stopping.
Synonyms: dangerous, alarming, critical, urgent, prohibited, warning
Antonyms: safe, clear, green (in traffic signals), permissible
Definition: (Figurative) Associated with communism or socialism, particularly in a historical or political context, often implying revolutionary or radical tendencies.
Synonyms: communist, socialist, revolutionary, radical, Marxist
Antonyms: capitalist, conservative, reactionary
Noun
Definition: The color itself; a pigment or dye producing this color.
Synonyms: scarlet, crimson, vermilion, ruby (when referring to the specific shade)
Antonyms: (No direct antonym for the concept of a color)
Definition: A state of financial loss or debt, often used in accounting or business contexts (e.g., "in the red").
Synonyms: deficit, loss, debt, arrears, in the hole
Antonyms: profit, surplus, black (as in "in the black")
Definition: (Informal, often plural "the reds") A person or group holding communist or socialist political views.
Synonyms: communist, socialist, revolutionary, radical, Marxist
Antonyms: capitalist, conservative, right-winger
Definition: (In specific contexts, e.g., traffic) A red light or signal indicating a halt or prohibition.
Synonyms: stop signal, red light
Antonyms: green light, go signal
Verb
Definition: To make something red; to color or stain with red.
Synonyms: redden, rouge (makeup), dye red, color red, crimson (to make crimson)
Antonyms: whiten, bleach, decolor, fade
Definition: (Informal) To become red, especially in the face, due to embarrassment, anger, or effort.
Synonyms: blush, flush, crimson, redden
Antonyms: pale, blanch
Definition: (Often "redline") To mark or indicate errors, changes, or prohibited areas in red.
Synonyms: mark, highlight, indicate (with red), redline
Antonyms: approve, clear, greenlight
Adverb
(No common adjectival uses of "red." While phrases like "driving red" might be understood in context, they are not standard adverbs in English.)
Examples of Use
Books:
"He had a red flag in his hand, and he waved it to and fro." (George Orwell, Animal Farm, August 1945)
"All the characters in The Scarlet Letter are in some way branded by their sins, represented most vividly by the red 'A' worn by Hester Pryn." (Literary analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter)
Newspapers:
"The latest economic indicators show the country's budget remaining in the red for the third consecutive quarter." (Financial Times)
"Environmental activists gathered to protest, waving red banners calling for immediate climate action." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"Scientists are studying the mysterious red dust storms observed on Mars." (NASA.gov)
"This article explores why some people see red when they hear certain political rhetoric." (PsychologyToday.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Take the red pill." (Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix, March 1999)
Music: "Lady in Red" (Chris de Burgh, Into the Light, June 1986)
Television: "We have a red alert in sector seven!" (Dialogue from Star Trek: The Original Series, various episodes)
Video Games: Players often see red health bars indicating damage or danger in many role-playing and action games. (General gaming convention)
General Public Discourse:
"The traffic light just turned red, so we'll have to wait." (Common street conversation)
"I was so embarrassed, my face turned bright red." (Everyday personal anecdote)
"The opposition party is trying to paint the new policy as a red herring to distract from the real issues." (Political commentary)
10 Quotes Using Red
"When we are red, we are ripe." (Stephen King, Carrie, April 1974)
"The red sun setting lights the clouds with fire." (Edward FitzGerald, Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, 1859)
"I wear a lot of red because I'm a passionate person." (Mariah Carey)
"Better dead than red." (Anti-Communist slogan, prominent during the Cold War)
"A woman in a red dress is a woman to watch." (Unknown, often attributed to various fashion or style gurus)
"There is a shade of red for every woman." (Audrey Hepburn)
"The lady in red is dancing with me." (Chris de Burgh, "The Lady in Red," June 1986)
"My favorite color is red, and I love to wear red because it's a very confident and sexy color." (Carrie Underwood)
"When in doubt, wear red." (Bill Blass)
"The red carpet is a great place to showcase your style." (Brad Goreski)
Etymology
The word "red" has a very old and interesting history, tracing its roots back thousands of years!
Imagine a time long, long ago, before modern languages existed. There was an ancient language family called Proto-Indo-European (PIE), which is like the common ancestor of many languages spoken today, including English, Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and many others.
The word "red" comes from a PIE root word that sounded something like *h₁rewdʰ-. This root basically meant "red" or "ruddy." It's one of the few colors for which we can pinpoint such an ancient common root across many languages.
From this ancient PIE root, the word evolved through different language branches:
It became *raudaz in Proto-Germanic, which is the ancestor of English, German, and Scandinavian languages.
In Old English (the earliest form of English, spoken before 1150 AD), it was "rēad" or "read." This is the earliest known use of the word in English, appearing in texts from that period. Its meaning was consistent with what we understand as the color of blood, rubies, or ripe tomatoes.
So, the first known use of "red" in English, with its meaning as a color, goes back to the Old English period (before 1150 AD). It's a word that has been remarkably stable in its meaning and sound across millennia, connecting us to very ancient linguistic origins. You can see its relatives in words like "ruddy" (reddish complexion), "rust" (reddish-brown coating), and even "ruby" (a red gemstone), all stemming from that same ancient PIE root.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Red
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "red":
Catch someone red-handed: To discover someone in the act of doing something wrong.
See red: To become very angry.
In the red: To be in debt or losing money.
Red tape: Official rules and procedures that seem excessive and cause delays.
Red letter day: A day that is memorable because of a special event.
Paint the town red: To go out and celebrate in a lively way.
Red herring: Something that distracts attention from the real issue.
Roll out the red carpet: To give someone special treatment or a lavish welcome.
Red-light district: An area of a city with many brothels and sex shops.
Red flag: A warning signal; something that indicates a problem or danger.
Red hot: Very popular, exciting, or intense.
Not a red cent: No money at all.
To be in a red fog: To be disoriented or confused, particularly from anger.
The red mist: A sudden feeling of intense anger that clouds judgment.
To go red: To blush, often due to embarrassment or anger.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of red from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
