An Encylopedia Britannica Company

colored

colored (US) adjective
or British coloured /ˈkʌlɚd/
colored (US)
adjective
or British coloured /ˈkʌlɚd/
Britannica Dictionary definition of COLORED
: having color : not black or white
: influenced by a person's feelings or prejudices
old-fashioned + usually offensive
: of a race other than white
especially : 1black 2
: of or relating to people who are not white
◊ In most nonhistorical contexts, senses 3a and 3b of colored are now considered unacceptable; the terms Black and African-American are preferred. The adjective colored is occasionally still used by Black people to refer to themselves and to other Black people, but its use by others is offensive.