DictionaryAI

blond

SayBLONDUS/blɑnd/UK/blɒnd/

Noun pluralblonds

7 meanings of blond

Practice

  1. 1
    light-hairedadjective
    Having hair of a pale golden or light yellowish color.

    Their new neighbor is tall and blond, with a big friendly smile.

    Both children were blond until their hair darkened in adolescence.

    UsageAlso spelled blonde, especially of women. The forms blonder and blondest are normal.

    Similarfair, fair-haired

    Oppositedark, dark-haired, brunette

    Note

    James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room (1956) describes a man as "younger… and blonder and more beautiful," and more blond is equally available. The spelling blonde sits right beside it, as in Cosmopolitan's "blonde bombshells" of Hollywood stars.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • James Baldwin wrote Giovanni's Room, first published in 1956. loc.gov
    • The novel describes a man with the quoted words; the ellipsis accurately omits intervening text. en.wiktionary.org
    • Cosmopolitan uses 'blonde bombshells' in an article about Hollywood stars. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    adjective
    Of a light yellowish shade, like pale gold or something bleached.

    The carpenter chose blond timber for the cabinet doors.

    Sunlight gave the sand a soft blond tone along the shore.

    UsageAlso for wood, drink and skin: blond oak, blond ale.

    Similarpale, light, fair, golden

    Oppositedark

  3. 3
    personnouncountable
    A person whose hair is a pale golden or light yellowish color.

    A striking blond stepped onto the stage to thunderous applause.

    The team's two blonds were often mistaken for siblings.

    UsageOften spelled a blonde when the person is a woman.

    Oppositebrunette

  4. 4
    the color itselfnouncountable or uncountable
    The pale yellowish to golden-brown color typical of fair hair, or a similar shade.

    Her natural blond had darkened over the years to a light brown.

    The designer matched the upholstery to a muted blond.

  5. 5
    pale beernouncountable
    A beer brewed to a pale golden color.

    She poured a crisp blond into a tall, frosted glass.

    The pub keeps three blonds on tap year-round.

  6. 6
    sillyadjectiveoffensive
    Another spelling of blonde: foolish or scatterbrained, in the way blonde people are stereotypically pictured.

    She laughed at herself for being so blond about the directions.

    It was a blond thing to say in front of the whole office.

    UsageOften so blond or a blond moment; the spelling blonde is more usual here.

Less common meaning

  1. 7
    dye hairverbtransitive
    To color or dye something a pale golden shade.

    The colorist blonded the actress's hair for the role.

    Salons often blond clients' eyebrows to match a new hair color.

    Similarbleach, lighten

    Oppositedarken

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of blond apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French "blond," from Old French "blond," from Frankish "*blund" (a mixed color between golden and light-brown), going back to Proto-Germanic "*blundaz" and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to become turbid, see badly, go blind." An alternative account instead links the Frankish word to a root meaning "blond, red-haired," which would make it cognate with Sanskrit "bradhná" (ruddy, pale red, yellowish).

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

  • English blond was borrowed from Middle French blond, from Old French blond. en.wiktionary.org
  • An alternative etymology connects Frankish *blund with a root meaning blond or red-haired. en.wiktionary.org
  • Under the alternative account, blond would be cognate with Sanskrit bradhná, meaning ruddy, pale red or yellowish. en.wiktionary.org