A palette is a flat board or surface where painters squeeze out and mix their colors. Traditional palettes are often made of wood and have a thumb hole so artists can hold them while painting. When you imagine a painter working at an easel, they typically hold a palette covered with dabs of different colors, mixing them together with a brush to create exactly the shade they need.

The word also describes the range of colors someone chooses to use. An artist might work with a warm palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, or a cool palette of blues and greens. A movie might use a muted palette of grays and browns to create a somber mood, while an animated film might burst with a bright, cheerful palette.

Beyond visual arts, palette can refer to any range of options available for creating something. A chef might describe the palette of flavors in a cuisine, while a composer might discuss the palette of sounds an instrument can produce. When someone says a video game has “an impressive palette of options,” they mean it offers many different choices for players.

Don't confuse it with palate, which is the roof of your mouth or your sense of taste, or pallet, which is a flat platform used for moving or storing goods.