monochrome style

[Maybo]

I want to add a caption on a photo, which is "monochrome style". The photo shows a room with black and white decorations.
My friend said if I use the word "monochrome", it could mean boring or dull. And she suggested me change it. Would people really have this negative connotation even if I show a photo along with the caption?

 

[probus]

First, monochrome is a noun. If you want an adjective to modify style, use monochromatic rather than monochrome.

Say: My friend suggested I change it, not me.

Your friend is correct. People might give monochrome the figurative meaning of boring or uninteresting. Also there is more than one kind of monochromatic photo. There is the old sepia kind, where everything is in shades of brown. The more modern, with many shades of grey, is often called "black and white", although monochromatic is used by some people. I'd recommend using "black and white."

 

[tedmc]

I prefer "black-and-white style" to be precise. "Monochrome" which comprises "mono" which means "one" and "chrome (chroma/hue)" which means "colour", also means pictures in a single colour besides black and white.

 

[tedmc]

Where did you find that definition?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/amp/english/monochrome

In interor design, there is monochromatic colour scheme which is based on various shades or tones of one colour.

 

[tedmc]

That's black white and grey OR one colour.

I did say a single colour. Maybe I should have said "or" instead of "besides". Black/white/grey is also a colour.

 

[tedmc]

One of the meanings of 'monochrome, give in most dictionaries is 'black, white, and shades of grey'. [FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT]Whatever the etymology of the word, that is the way any people use and understand it these days.

That is because monochrome pictures are mostly in black and white. Pictures in a single colour - red, blue or green - are not common, but are still monochrome.

 

[emsr2d2]

Black/white/grey is also a colour.

Are you suggesting that black, white and grey together make "a colour". If so, that's wrong. Individually, they are each a single colour but, as Piscean indicated, there's disagreement on that. I'm not sure about grey, but lots of people say that white and black aren't actually colours.

I can't disagree with the fact that "monochrome" can simply mean "all one colour" (any colour) but most people I know use it as an alternative word for "black-and-white".