color-blind
adjective
col·or-blind
ˈkə-lər-ˌblīnd 
variants
or colorblind
1
: affected with partial or total inability to distinguish one or more chromatic colors
Dull colors are the rule for color-blind animals, like elephants and hippos and rhinos.—
Terence Monmaney
Terence Monmaney… the examiner in Seattle who had first looked at these capsules couldn't possibly have seen the green specks: he was color-blind.—David Fisher
David FisherIt really was an awful garment, that pullover. It had a queasy zigzag pattern, in many strange, unhappy colors. It looked like something knitted as a present by a colorblind aunt.—Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett2
: not influenced by differences of race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
a color-blind policy/approach
especially
: treating all people the same regardless of race
… a country that prefers to see itself as colorblind. —Sidsel Overgaard
Sidsel Overgaard Note: While sense 2 can be used with positive connotations of freedom from racial prejudice, it often suggests a failure or refusal to acknowledge or address the many racial inequities that exist in society, or to acknowledge important aspects of racial identity.
Equitable instruction isn't colorblind, it is responsive to students' unique and diverse backgrounds, said Imani Goffney, assistant professor of mathematics education at the University of Maryland College of Education's Center for Mathematics Education. —Lindsay McKenzie
Lindsay McKenzie What I learned was that white parents often refrain from speaking with their children about race, racism and racial inequality. If racial discussions do occur they are characterized by a colorblind rhetoric. —Megan R. Underhill
Megan R. Underhill 3
: insensitive, oblivious
We maintain no cash reserves, assuming we can borrow our way out of a crisis. We live as if color-blind to risk.—Byron Moore
Byron MooreExamples of color-blind in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in today’s landscape, her willingness to embrace change, vulnerability, and radical authenticity has only increased her influence among Generation Z—arguably our most color-blind, gender-blind, and age-blind generation.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The production has been riddled with controversy, from the color-blind casting of Zegler to the CGI dwarfs played by mostly non-dwarf actors to the leads’ outspoken opposing stances on the war in Gaza.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler Celebrate First Performance of Broadway's Romeo + Juliet at Stage Door Bash (Exclusive)
Casting, save for our titular characters, is completely gender and color-blind.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
If the tenor of our election doesn’t convince you, a host of other statistics undermine the convenience of citing Chetty’s data in support of color-blind strategies to advance economic opportunity.
—Michael Collins, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Gay’s intellectual approach is far from color-blind.
—Tim Rosenberger, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024
For decades, the military advanced its mission in a famously color-blind fashion, which bled into popular culture.
—Skylar Croy, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024
Nothing in the original Constitution was irreconcilable with a color-blind society in which there was no slavery.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
The mainstream Right still contends there’s another path forward: the Right as the party of safe streets, parental rights, wealth creation, color-blind meritocracy, and competent, cost-effective government.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 9 Nov. 2023
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Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
The production has been riddled with controversy, from the color-blind casting of Zegler to the CGI dwarfs played by mostly non-dwarf actors to the leads’ outspoken opposing stances on the war in Gaza.
—Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler Celebrate First Performance of Broadway's Romeo + Juliet at Stage Door Bash (Exclusive)
Casting, save for our titular characters, is completely gender and color-blind.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
If the tenor of our election doesn’t convince you, a host of other statistics undermine the convenience of citing Chetty’s data in support of color-blind strategies to advance economic opportunity.
—Michael Collins, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Gay’s intellectual approach is far from color-blind.
—Tim Rosenberger, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024
For decades, the military advanced its mission in a famously color-blind fashion, which bled into popular culture.
—Skylar Croy, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024
Nothing in the original Constitution was irreconcilable with a color-blind society in which there was no slavery.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
The mainstream Right still contends there’s another path forward: the Right as the party of safe streets, parental rights, wealth creation, color-blind meritocracy, and competent, cost-effective government.
—Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 9 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Color-blind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/color-blind. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
color-blind
adjective
col·or-blind
ˈkəl-ər-ˌblīnd
variants
or colorblind
: affected with partial or total inability to distinguish one or more chromatic colors
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