Beige is a pale brownish color, like the shade of sand on a beach or the creamy tan of coffee with lots of milk stirred in. It's a neutral color that doesn't call much attention to itself: not as stark as white, not as bold as brown, but somewhere comfortably in between.

You'll see beige everywhere once you start noticing it. Many people paint their walls beige because it works with almost any furniture. Office buildings often have beige carpets. Khaki pants are usually some shade of beige. The color appears so often in everyday life that it has come to represent something ordinary or unremarkable.

When people describe something as beige, they sometimes mean it's bland or boring, lacking excitement or personality. A movie review might call a film “beige” if it's neither terrible nor great, just forgettable and safe. Someone might joke that a cafeteria meal tastes “beige” if it's edible but totally unmemorable.

But beige isn't always boring. Deserts glow with beautiful beige tones at sunset. Many animals wear beige as perfect camouflage. And sometimes when everything else is colorful and loud, a little beige can feel calm and restful.