- Home
- Idioms
- colored
colored
look (at something) through rose-colored glasses
To assume a generally optimistic and cheerful attitude (toward something); to focus on the positive aspects (of something). Primarily heard in US. I know nostalgia can be misleading, but I really look at my childhood through rose-colored glasses. I think Mary is only capable of looking through rose-colored glasses, like she's in complete denial of the negative things in life!
rose-colored glasses
An unduly idealistic, optimistic, sentimental, or wistful perspective on or about something. Primarily heard in US. I know Sarah looks on our childhood with rose-colored glasses, but I can't put aside how difficult my parents' failing marriage was for all of us. Despite doing worse every quarter for the last two years, our boss keeps seeing the business through rose-colored glasses. You need to take off your rose-colored glasses for a moment and realize that there are serious problems in the world that need fixing.
wear rose-colored glasses
To assume an unduly optimistic and cheerful attitude (toward something); to focus solely or primarily on the positive aspects (of something). Primarily heard in US. Many of us wear rose-colored glasses when we think back to our childhoods. It's part of the reason nostalgia is such a powerful emotional draw. I find it a little irksome how you always wear rose-colored glasses, even in the worst of times!
rose-colored
Of a shade of pink. I'm going to wear a rose-colored dress to the wedding this weekend. We love watching the rose-colored clouds at sunset.
through rose-colored glasses
with an attitude that things are better than they really are
Looked at through rose-colored glasses, the story of women's role in the state's politics could be considered a success. Usage notes: usually used with see something or look at something: The magazine had a habit of looking at social issues through rose-colored glasses.
rose-coloured glasses
(British & Australian) also rose-colored glasses/rose-coloured spectacles (American & Australian/British) if someone thinks about or looks at something with rose-coloured glasses, they think it is more pleasant than it really is She's nostalgic for a past that she sees through rose-colored glasses.
see through rose-colored glasses
Also, look through rose-colored glasses. Take an optimistic view of something, as in Kate enjoys just about every activity; she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, or If only Marvin wouldn't be so critical, if he could look through rose-colored glasses once in a while, he'd be much happier . The adjectives rosy and rose-colored have been used in the sense of "hopeful" or "optimistic" since the 1700s; the current idiom dates from the 1850s.
through rose-colored glasses
With an unduly cheerful, optimistic, or favorable view of things: see the world through rose-colored glasses.