95+ Rare colors to intrigue and inspire

If you’ve ever found yourself bored of using the same old colors to describe things, today’s post on rare colors is for you. It’s a natural follow-up to my last post, which focused on how to write excellent room descriptions for your text-based game.

When I say “rare,” I generally mean words that aren’t used in everyday conversation.

Some rare colors may be fairly common to RPGs (e.g. “ebony armor” or “obsidian sword”), but you might not know where the colors come from or why they’re named that way.

That’s why I added etymology hints, too.

The rare color words in this list can be used to describe all sorts of things, not just rooms and objects. How you use them is entirely up to you, but I do provide a few pointers at the end of this post.

List of rare color terms, grouped by category

For ease of browsing, I’ve grouped the rare colors in this list by category. Some colors might fall into more than one category (e.g. shades of reddish-orange could be either red or orange).

In such cases, I just picked whatever seemed most appropriate.

You’ll also notice that I included links to authoritative pages on the etymology of certain color terms.

As for the rarity of the terms in this list, I simply tried to select a variety of interesting color words. If you’re well-read or do a lot of design work with color palettes, you may find that you know several or many of the terms listed.

However, I did my best to include a few particularly rare items, as well. And don’t forget to check out the FAQ (trivia) at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Rare red colors

Rare shades of red include:

1. amaranth – reddish-rose or reddish-purple color, named after the flower of the amaranth plant
2. cardinal – vivid red, like the bird
3. carmine – deep red, though some varieties may include a tiny bit of purple
4. cinabrese – pale reddish-orange, after a flesh-colored pigment used by Italian Renaissance painters
5. cinnabar – see vermillion below (and link to etymology)
6. coquelicot – bright red, named after a French word for poppy
7. crimson – deep, rich red with a hint of blue, often associated with royalty and luxury
8. sorrel – reddish-brown, from horses of that color
9. stammel – wine red, named after a coarse cloth used for medieval undergarments
10. titian – reddish-brown, named after a Renaissance painter
11. vermillion – bright red, sometimes slightly orange

Rare orange colors

Rare shades of orange include:

1. amber – golden yellow-orange, named after fossilized tree sap, which is used to make jewelry
2. fawn – pale shade of yellowish-brown or dark orange, both of which are found on the spotted coat of fawns (young deer)
3. gamboge – yellow-orange used to dye Buddhist monks’ robes, named after the tree most commonly tapped to make the pigment
4. jacinthe – vivid yellowish-orange, from a French name for hyacinth
5. madder – orange-red, named after the plant used to make the dye (from its root)
6. mahogany – golden-red or reddish-brown, named after mahogany wood; when referring to paints, mahogany is often a very dark reddish-brown
7. nacarat – bright orange, sometimes with a reddish tint
8. persimmon – bright orange, after the persimmon fruit
9. sinopia – reddish-orange or reddish-brown, “red earth” or “red ochre” color used in Classical Antiquity through the Renaissance; fairly synonymous with the pigment known as Venetian red
10. tangelo – bold orange, named after the fruit (a hybrid between orange and tangerine)

Rare yellow colors

Rare shades of yellow and gold colors include:

1. aureate – gold, golden
2. aureolin – medium yellow, named after a pigment similar to canary yellow
3. champagne – pale yellow, after the bubbly drink
4. citron – dark yellow, named after the fruit
5. fulvous – brownish-yellow, see also tawny below
6. jonquil – golden-yellow, after the flower (a species of daffodil)
7. ochre – yellow-brown, but see this page for other varieties, e.g. “red ochre”
8. or – yellow or gold, used in heraldry
9. saffron – yellow-orange, named after the spice
10. sarcoline – pale yellow-beige color used to describe some lighter skin tones; comes from the Greek word “sarx,” meaning flesh or meat
11. tawny – brownish-yellow, usually, but see this list for other possibilities

Rare green colors

Rare shades of green include:

1. celadon – pale green or gray-green, like the pottery
2. chartreuse – yellowish-green, like the French liqueur
3. kombu – dark green, the Japanese name for edible kelp
4. lovat – grayish-green used in woolen textiles
5. paris green – blue-green to deep green, after a toxic inorganic powder used as a pigment and insecticide
6. sage – gray-green or silver-green, like the plant
7. skobeloff – rich, bluish-green color with a hint of darkness
8. smaragdine – deep green, after the Latin word for “emerald”
9. tilleul – pale yellowish-green, named after the lime tree
10. viridian – blue-green

Rare blue colors

Rare shades of blue include:

1. azure – deep, sky-blue color
2. celeste – sky blue
3. cerulean – similar to azure but a little lighter (thank you, Crayola)
4. cornflower – medium-to-light blue, named after the flower
5. glaucous – hazy, grayish-blue, like the foggy sheen on plums and grapes
6. indigo – deep purplish-blue, named after the plant used to make dye
7. mazarine – deep blue color used in textiles and ceramics
8. phthalo – blue-green, from the family of synthetic pigments made from copper phthalocyanine
9. ultramarine – intense blue
10. YInMn Blue – intense, near-perfect blue with IR reflective properties, discovered in 2009
11. zaffre – deep cobalt blue, from the Persian word “zāfira,” which means “sapphire”

Rare purple colors

Rare shades of purple include:

1. aubergine – dark purple, another word for eggplant
2. byzantium – a rich, dark purple with a hint of red, named after the ancient city
3. claret – dark reddish-purple, like the wine
4. heliotrope – a vibrant purple with pinkish undertones, named after the flower
5. lilac – pale blueish-purple, named after the flower
6. mauve – grayish-purple
7. mulberry – a vibrant reddish-purple, named after the fruit
8. orchid – a medium to light purple with pink and blue undertones, named after the flower
9. periwinkle – a soft, pastel purple with a bluish tint, named after the flower
10. puce – brownish-purple
11. thistle – a light purple with a slight grayish tone, named after the flower
12. tyrian – deep reddish-purple that originated in ancient Phoenicia
13. ultraviolet – intense blueish-purple
14. wisteria – a light to medium purple, named after the flowering plant

If you’re wondering why so many shades of purple are named after flowers, check out the FAQs at the end of this post!

Rare black colors

Rare shades of black include:

1. coal – matte black, like coal
2. corbeau – black with green or blue, from the color of crows (corvids)
3. ebony – black with olive undertones, named after a dense type of ornamental wood
4. ink – a dark, intense black, often with a bluish undertone, reminiscent of black ink used in writing or printing
5. jet – a deep, pure black, named after the lignite mineral used in jewelry, which is a precursor to coal
6. obsidian – black, sometimes with purple undertones, named after the igneous rock
7. onyx – deep black, named after the gemstone, a form of chalcedony
8. piceous – glossy brownish-black, resembling pitch (pitch is also used as a color)
9. sable – black used in heraldry, may have some brown, like a sable’s pelt
10. Vantablack – an extremely dark black, known as one of the darkest artificial substances

See the end of this post for a brief discussion on whether white and black are considered colors.

Rare white colors

Rare shades of white include:

1. alabaster – white with a very pale yellow or pink tint
2. albescent – shading into or becoming white
3. albugineous – white, used to describe anatomical features, such as fibers or fluids, that are white
4. argent – white or silver, used in heraldry (similar to “or”)
5. cornsilk – silky yellowish-white, describes the color of corn silk (the thread-like stuff that surrounds the corncob)
6. eburnean – ivory white, from the Latin word meaning “resembling ivory”; the term can also be used to describe something as pure, pristine, or elegant
7. magnolia – a creamy white with a hint of yellow or pink, named after the petals of the magnolia flower
8. niveous – snowy or resembling snow, often used to describe a pure, untainted white
9. porcelain – white, often used to describe delicate things or very pale skin
10. zinc – a bluish-white, named after the metal zinc, often used in galvanizing

Rare gray colors

Rare shades of gray include:

1. battleship – a medium gray with a bluish tint, often associated with naval ships
2. cinereous – ash gray, sometimes gray-brown, from the Latin word for ashes
3. drab – a dull, light brownish-gray, often used to describe uninteresting or dreary things
4. feldgrau – grayish green, from the German word for “field green.” Feldgrau was the color of choice for German uniforms during WWI and WWII.
5. gossamer – greyish-white, like a spider’s web
6. greige – grayish-beige, a portmanteau of gray and beige
7. gunmetal – medium gray, sometimes with a greenish undertone
8. isabelline – pale yellowish-gray, used to describe plumage, horse coats, and textiles used in fashion
9. livid – a grayish-blue or grayish-purple, often used to describe the color of bruises or contusions
10. pewter – flat gray, named after a tin alloy
11. pumice – a light, ashy gray, named after the volcanic rock

How to use the rare color names in this list

It’s worth noting that some of the rare colors listed here are more obscure than others. Depending on your audience, some readers may find the words strange, confusing, outdated, or even pretentious!

If your readers aren’t receptive, the words in this list might annoy them more than intrigue them. Your writing might come across as pretentious or unnecessarily high-brow.

If that’s the case, choose carefully and use sparingly.

On the other hand, if your audience is the type to enjoy obscure words they’ve never heard of before, feel free to use rare colors in this list with abandon. Every audience is different.

Tips to familiarize readers with rare colors

If you’re concerned about being understood, you can help readers along by including the basic color term after the adjective.

For example, instead of writing just “saffron,” you can write “saffron yellow.” Instead of “sage,” you can write “sage green.” This way, even if they don’t know that saffron is an orange-yellow spice or that sage is a silver-green herb, they still know what basic color you’re talking about.

Once your audience has been introduced to these new colors, you can use the lesser-known terms more freely in your writing.

Good use of context can also help your readers become more receptive and less resistant to unfamiliar words. (See also the tip on “show, don’t tell” in my post on writing room descs.)

When to use the rare color words in this list

I recommend using the colors in this list whenever you want to spice up your writing. Especially if you spend much time describing areas, clothing, and other objects for a text-based RPG.

Writing the same words over and over can really reduce one’s enthusiasm and motivation for a project.

The same is true for readers and their reading material!

Readers’ eyes will gloss over if they read the words “azure sky” and “verdant grass” over and over. Tossing in some variety can help hold your readers’ attention – and yours!

Additional resources for writers and roleplayers

I hope you enjoyed this list of rare color terms! If you did, you may also like these other lists I created:

• glossary of text-based gaming terms
• list of character flaws

For color basics, such as the difference between a tint, shade, and tone, check out this Wikipedia page. You might also like the Color Meanings blog, which includes lots of articles about color, the meaning of color, and color ideas.

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Frequently Asked Questions

If you enjoy trivia, check out these FAQs about color:

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10 Rare color terms for rainbows/multiple colors