"Monochrome" is a fun, fresh, visual, semi-common, easily understood alternative to "monotonous." That is, much like how "monotonous" expresses how boring something is by suggesting it lacks a variety of tones or sounds, "monochrome" does the same thing, but for colors.

You might talk about monochrome songs, rooms, dreams, novels, clothing, buildings, cityscapes, imaginations, etc. When you do, you're complaining that every element is the same, in a dull, drab, boring way, as if the creator only knew how to do one thing and just kept doing it.

Or you could say that something is done, expressed, or created "in monochrome." "The exhibit features photographs in monochrome." "It's a story told in monochrome." "The memory is too old; I can only recall it in monochrome."

Or, you could get more figurative and complain that someone's thinking, speaking, or writing is monochrome, meaning it sees everything in a black-and-white, this-or-that, dualistic, dichotomized, overly simplistic way. In that sense, we can draw a very fine line between "monochrome" and "Manichaean:" to complain that someone sees everything in only black and white, call it "Manichaean;" to complain that someone sees everything in only shades of gray, call it "monochrome." It's basically the same thing!

"This wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some in vibrant colors, others dull monochromes." 
   — Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, 2005

"As his time in the little southern town passed, Tim Jamieson fell into a soothing routine... It was no cultural oasis, and he understood why the kids were mostly wild to escape its monochrome boringness."
   — Stephen King, The Institute, 2019

has this page helped you understand "monochrome"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "monochrome" without saying "one-colored" or "single-shaded."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "People tend to (do something that should be highly flexible and creative) one way only, a monochrome approach."

Example 1: "High school students tend to fall back on the same old five-paragraph essay that builds an argument with three simple reasons, a monochrome approach."

Example 2: "Young opera singers these days tend to be trained to sing one way only, a monochrome approach."
   — Anne Midgette, Washington Post, 17 June 2018

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for February: Word Choice Chuckles!

I’ll give you a snippet of text that I spotted in the wild, with one word or phrase removed and its meaning described. See if you can fill in a word or phrase that'll give the reader a good chuckle. Be cheesy. Be punny. Get in there and make me proud.

Here's an example:

"This comes at a time of _____ in the mattress industry." 
   — Dan Solomon, Texas Monthly, 15 December 2017

Meaning of the missing word: "strife."

Answer: "unrest."

Try this one today:

"A key date in feline history just _____ past. On Oct. 7, 1982, the musical 'Cats' opened on Broadway."
   — Nancy Wartik, New York Times, 8 October 2018

Meaning of the missing word: "went."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of MONOCHROME is

A. EPIGRAMMATIC (brief and clever).
B. DOGMATIC (annoying and arrogant).
C. POLYCHROMATIC (made of many colors).

2. In the Guardian, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar asked, "Why are children's books stuck in monochrome?," noting that "just 4% of children's books published in 2017 featured _____."

A. melancholy endings
B. black and minority ethnic characters
C. resourceful kids who Googled their way out of problems

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. B Word Choice Chuckle: "A key date in feline history just slunk past. On Oct. 7, 1982, the musical 'Cats' opened on Broadway."    — Nancy Wartik, New York Times, 8 October 2018

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.