Magenta vs. Pink — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 18, 2023
Magenta is a vivid, purplish-red color that is more intense and leans towards purple. Pink is a lighter shade of red that often appears pastel and is generally less intense. Both are variations of red but differ in hue, intensity, and context of usage.
Difference Between Magenta and Pink
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Magenta is a color that sits between red and purple on the color spectrum. It is often described as a purplish-red and is more vivid and intense than many other colors in the red spectrum. Pink, on the other hand, is a lighter shade of red that usually appears more pastel and is less intense than magenta.
In the realm of color psychology, magenta is often associated with creativity, imagination, and emotional balance. It is a color often seen in modern designs and art installations. Pink is commonly linked with femininity, love, and tenderness. It is a color more frequently associated with softness, romance, and baby products.
In terms of technology and color printing, magenta is one of the primary colors used in the CMYK color model. It is essential in producing a wide array of colors when printing. Pink does not have the same technical significance; it is often created by diluting red or mixing red with white.
Magenta and pink both serve various cultural meanings and associations. In Western cultures, magenta is less gender-specific and is often used to signify boldness and excitement. Pink has stronger gender implications, commonly associated with femininity and used more extensively in products and clothing targeting women.
Comparison Chart
Intensity
More intense
Less intense
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Hue
Purplish-red
Light red
Psychological Association
Creativity, imagination
Love, tenderness
Usage in Tech
Primary in CMYK
Created by diluting red
Gender Association
Less specific
Commonly feminine
Compare with Definitions
Magenta
Used in the CMYK color model for printing.
In CMYK, magenta is one of the primary colors.
Pink
Pink is a color that is a pale tint of red and is named after a flower of the same name. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century.
Magenta
A vivid, purplish-red color.
The sunset sky turned a stunning magenta.
Pink
Created by mixing red with white.
Adding white to red creates various shades of pink.
Magenta
Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as purplish-red, reddish-purple or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blue.
Pink
Of a colour intermediate between red and white, as of coral or salmon
Her face was pink with embarrassment
Bright pink lipstick
Magenta
A light mauvish-crimson which is one of the primary subtractive colours, complementary to green
A short magenta dress
Bright pink double flowers each lined in dark magenta
Pink
Having or showing left-wing tendencies
Pink politicians
Magenta
Associated with creativity and imagination.
The artist used magenta to evoke emotional depth.
Pink
Of or associated with homosexuals
A boom in the pink economy
The pink pound
Magenta
See fuchsin.
Pink
Pink colour, pigment, or material
Soft pastel shades of pink and blue
Magenta
A purplish red, one of the subtractive primary colors.
Pink
The best condition or degree
The economy is not in the pink of health
Magenta
A vibrant light purple, purplish-red, reddish-purple, or pinkish purple colour obtained by mixing red and blue light (thus a secondary colour), but primary in the CMYK colour system used in printing.
Pink
A herbaceous Eurasian plant with sweet-smelling pink or white flowers and slender, typically grey-green leaves.
Magenta
Having the colour of fuchsia, fuchsine, light purple.
Pink
A small square-rigged sailing ship, typically with a narrow, overhanging stern.
Magenta
An aniline dye obtained as an amorphous substance having a green bronze surface color, which dissolves to a shade of red; also, the color; - so called from Magenta, in Italy, in allusion to the battle fought there about the time the dye was discovered. Called also fuchsin, fuchsine, roseïne, etc.
Pink
A yellowish lake pigment made by combining vegetable colouring matter with a white base.
Magenta
The purplish-red color of magenta.
Pink
Become pink
Cheryl's cheeks pinked with sudden excitement
Magenta
A dark purple-red; the dye was discovered in 1859, the year of the battle of Magenta
Pink
Shear (a sheep) so closely that the colour of the skin is visible
McFowler pinked every sheep and never drew blood
Magenta
A battle in 1859 in which the French and Sardinian forces under Napoleon III defeated the Austrians under Francis Joseph I
Pink
Cut a scalloped or zigzag edge on
I pinked the edge of the fabric
Magenta
Deep purplish red
Pink
Decorate
April pinked the earth with flowers
Magenta
Less gender-specific in cultural contexts.
Both men and women wore magenta at the fashion show.
Pink
(of a vehicle engine) make a series of rattling sounds as a result of over-rapid combustion of the fuel–air mixture in the cylinders
The car was inclined to pink slightly in accelerating from a low engine speed
Magenta
Found between red and purple on the color spectrum.
Magenta bridges the gap between red and purple in the color wheel.
Pink
Any of a group of colors reddish in hue, of medium to high lightness, and of low to moderate saturation.
Pink
Any of various plants of the genus Dianthus, such as sweet William, often cultivated for their showy, fragrant, usually pink, red, or white flowers. Also called dianthus.
Pink
Any of several other plants in the pink family, such as the wild pink.
Pink
A flower of any of these plants.
Pink
The highest or best degree
In the pink of health.
Pink
Light-colored trousers formerly worn as part of the winter semidress uniform by US Army officers.
Pink
The scarlet coat worn by fox hunters.
Pink
(Slang)A pinko.
Pink
A small sailing vessel with a sharply narrowed stern and an overhanging transom.
Pink
Of the color pink.
Pink
(Slang)Having moderately leftist political opinions.
Pink
To stab lightly with a pointed weapon; prick.
Pink
To decorate with a perforated pattern.
Pink
To cut with pinking shears.
Pink
(regional) The common minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus.
Pink
(regional) A young Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, before it becomes a smolt; a parr.
Pink
A narrow boat.
Pink
(obsolete) A small hole made by puncturing something, as with a rapier, dagger, or pinking iron.
Pink
(obsolete) A small hole or puncture made by a sharp, slender instrument such as a rapier, poniard or dagger, or (by extension) a bullet; a stab.
Pink
(obsolete) A small hole or eyelet punched in a garment for decoration, as with a pinking iron; a scallop.
Pink
Any of various flowers in the genus Dianthus, sometimes called carnations.
This garden in particular has a beautiful bed of pinks.
Pink
(dated) A perfect example; excellence, perfection; the embodiment of some quality.
Your hat, madam, is the very pink of fashion.
Pink
(color) The colour of this flower, between red and white; pale red.
My new dress is a wonderful shade of pink.
Pink
Hunting pink; scarlet, as worn by hunters.
Pink
(snooker) One of the colour balls used in snooker, coloured pink, with a value of 6 points.
Oh dear, he's left himself snookered behind the pink.
Pink
(slang) An unlettered and uncultured, but relatively prosperous, member of the middle classes; compare Babbitt, bourgeoisie.
Pink
(slang) The vagina or vulva.
Pink
(historical) Any of various lake#Etymology 4 pigments or dyes in yellow, yellowish green, or brown shades made with plant coloring and a metallic oxide base.
Pink
To decorate a piece of clothing or fabric by adding holes or by scalloping the fringe.
Pink
To prick with a sword.
Pink
To wound by irony, criticism, or ridicule.
Pink
(intransitive) To become pink in color, to redden.
Pink
(transitive) To turn (something) pink.
Pink
(transitive) To turn (a topaz or other gemstone) pink by the application of heat.
Pink
Of a motor car, to emit a high "pinking" noise, usually as a result of ill-set ignition timing for the fuel used (in a spark ignition engine).
Pink
Of a musical instrument, to sound a very high-pitched, short note.
Pink
(obsolete) To wink; to blink.
Pink
Having a colour between red and white; pale red.
Pink
Of a fox-hunter's jacket: scarlet.
Pink
Having conjunctivitis.
Pink
(obsolete) By comparison to red (communist), describing someone who sympathizes with the ideals of communism without actually being a Russian-style communist: a pinko.
Pink
(informal) Relating to women or girls.
Pink job
Pink
(informal) Relating to homosexuals as a group within society.
The pink economy
Pink pound
Pink dollar
Pink triangle
Pink
(obsolete) Half-shut; winking.
Pink
A vessel with a very narrow stern; - called also pinky.
Pink
A stab.
Pink
A name given to several plants of the caryophyllaceous genus Dianthus, and to their flowers, which are sometimes very fragrant and often double in cultivated varieties. The species are mostly perennial herbs, with opposite linear leaves, and handsome five-petaled flowers with a tubular calyx.
Pink
A color resulting from the combination of a pure vivid red with more or less white; - so called from the common color of the flower.
Pink
Anything supremely excellent; the embodiment or perfection of something.
Pink
The European minnow; - so called from the color of its abdomen in summer.
Pink
To wink; to blink.
Pink
To pierce with small holes; to cut the edge of, as cloth or paper, in small scallops or angles.
Pink
To stab; to pierce as with a sword.
Pink
To choose; to cull; to pick out.
Pink
Half-shut; winking.
Pink
Resembling the garden pink in color; of the color called pink (see 6th Pink, 2); as, a pink dress; pink ribbons.
Pink
A light shade of red
Pink
Any of various flowers of plants of the genus Dianthus cultivated for their fragrant flowers
Pink
Make light, repeated taps on a surface;
He was tapping his fingers on the table impatiently
Pink
Sound like a car engine that is firing too early;
The car pinged when I put in low-octane gasoline
The car pinked when the ignition was too far retarded
Pink
Cut in a zig-zag pattern with pinking shears, in sewing
Pink
Of a light shade of red
Pink
A light, pastel shade of red.
The baby's room was painted pink.
Pink
Commonly associated with love and tenderness.
She wore a pink dress to symbolize love.
Pink
Strongly associated with femininity.
Pink is a popular color for girls' clothing.
Pink
Less intense than many other shades of red.
She chose a pink lipstick for a softer look.
Common Curiosities
What is Pink?
Pink is a light, pastel shade of red.
Are Magenta and Pink the same?
No, they differ in hue and intensity.
Is Magenta used in printing?
Yes, it's a primary color in the CMYK model.
Is Pink used in printing?
No, it's generally created by diluting red.
Is Pink a natural color?
Yes, it's found in flowers, skies, and animals.
How do you make Magenta?
It's a primary color in printing and can't be made by mixing other colors.
Is Magenta considered feminine?
It's less gender-specific compared to pink.
What is Magenta?
Magenta is a vivid, purplish-red color.
What does Pink symbolize?
Love, tenderness, and femininity.
Is Pink considered feminine?
Yes, it's strongly associated with femininity.
What does Magenta symbolize?
Creativity, imagination, and emotional balance.
Is Magenta a natural color?
It can appear in natural phenomena like sunsets.
Where is Magenta commonly used?
In art, fashion, and printing.
How do you make Pink?
By mixing red with white.
Where is Pink commonly used?
In clothing, baby products, and romantic contexts.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
