colored outside the lines
Ignored the rules
Colored outside the lines describes departing from conventional expectations or established rules, often with a suggestion of creativity or independence.
The image comes from childhood coloring books, where staying inside the printed lines is considered proper technique.
Someone who colors outside the lines refuses to conform: She always colored outside the lines—that's why her designs were so original.
Can be used approvingly for nonconformists or disapprovingly for rule-breakers.
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- against the grainContrary to natural tendency
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- unconventionalityDeparture from accepted standards
free spirit · authenticity · artistry · uniqueness · originality · vision · flair · ingenuity · eccentricity · iconoclasm · subversion · disruption · independence · freedom · experimentation · audacity · rule-breaking · resistance
colored outside the linesconformed
Acted according to expectations
toed the line · followed the crowd · played it safe · colored inside the lines · fell in line
colored outside the linescolored inside the lines
Filled shapes without overflowing
obeyed · complied · behaved · submitted · dotted the i's and crossed the t's
colored, colors, coloring, colorful, colorless, coloration, discolor, discolored, multicolored