Monochromatic means having or using only one color, or different shades and tints of a single color.

An artist creating a monochromatic painting might use only blue, working with light sky blues, medium navy blues, and deep midnight blues to create depth and interest. A monochromatic outfit uses variations of one color: imagine wearing light gray pants, a charcoal sweater, and dark gray shoes.

In science, monochromatic light contains just one wavelength. The red beam from a laser pointer is monochromatic light, unlike sunlight, which contains all the colors of the rainbow mixed together.

Monochromatic designs can feel elegant and unified, but they risk becoming boring if not done thoughtfully. When decorating a room monochromatically, you might use cream walls, beige furniture, and tan curtains, relying on different textures and shades to keep things interesting. Black and white photographs are technically monochromatic, though people usually call them “black and white” rather than monochromatic.

The opposite would be polychromatic, meaning many colors, though that term is less commonly used. When you see a rainbow or a tie-dyed shirt, you're looking at something definitely not monochromatic.