desaturated
Lacking chromatic intensity
Desaturated describes colors with reduced intensity or vividness—muted, washed out, closer to gray.
In photography and design, desaturated images have had color saturation deliberately lowered: The film's desaturated palette gave it a bleak, documentary feel.
The opposite of saturated or vibrant.
Neutral achromatic hue
- drabDull and cheerless
- flatLacking vertical variation
- matteNon-reflective surface finish
- lifelessDevoid of animation
colorless · monochrome · lackluster · muddy · ashen · dreary · dingy · leaden
Had color removed
- weatheredEroded by exposure
- agedAdvanced in years
- sun-bleachedLightened by prolonged daylight
- washed-outLacking original vibrancy
yellowed · discolored · worn · time-worn · dimmed · blanched · leached · whitened
Made quieter or softer
- toned-downMade less extreme
- subduedReduced in intensity
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
- softYielding to touch
pastel · low-key · gentle · neutral · restrained · subtle · quiet · hushed
gray
Neutral achromatic hue
lifeless · colorless · monochrome · lackluster · muddy · ashen · dreary · dingy · leaden · somber
bleached
Had color removed
- weatheredEroded by exposure
- agedAdvanced in years
- sun-bleachedLightened by prolonged daylight
washed-out · yellowed · discolored · worn · time-worn · dimmed · blanched · leached · whitened · lightened
muted
Made quieter or softer
- toned-downMade less extreme
- subduedReduced in intensity
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
soft · pastel · low-key · gentle · neutral · restrained · subtle · quiet · hushed · mellow
cinematic
Relating to motion pictures
atmospheric · vintage · retro · Instagram · filtered · stylized · editorial · grayscale · monochromatic · tonal
- alteredmodified, changed, altered, edited, revised
- grayscalegrayscale, monochrome, black, white, gray
- colorlesscolorless, achromatic, hueless, grayscale, monochrome
- color schemesmonochromatic, complementary, analogous, triadic, neutral
- color saturationvivid, muted, rich, dull, bright
- pallorpale, pallid, wan, ashen, pasty