The skin tones of Brazilians quite literally span the entire spectrum of possible human hues. Reflecting this are the 136 creative descriptions Brazilians came up with in a survey asking them to self-assess their color:
| Acastanhada | Somewhat chestnut-coloured |
| Agalegada | Somewhat like a Galician |
| Alva | Snowy white |
| Alva escura | Dark snowy white |
| Alvarenta | (not in dictionary; poss. dialect) Snowy white |
| Alvarinta | Snowy white |
| Alva rosada | Pinkish white |
| Alvinha | Snowy white |
| Amarela | Yellow |
| Amarelada | Yellowish |
| Amarela-queimada | Burnt yellow |
| Amarelosa | Yellowy |
| Amorenada | Somewhat dark-skinned |
| Avermelhada | Reddish |
| Azul | Blue |
| Azul-marinho | Sea blue |
| Baiano | From Bahia |
| Bem branca | Very white |
| Bem clara | Very pale |
| Bem morena | Very dark-skinned |
| Branca | White |
| Branca-avermelhada | White going on for red |
| Branca-melada | Honey-coloured white |
| Branca-morena | White but dark-skinned |
| Branca-pálida | Pale white |
| Branca-queimada | Burnt white |
| Branca-sardenta | Freckled white |
| Branca-suja | Off-white |
| Branquiça | Whitish |
| Branquinha | Very white |
| Bronze | Bronze-coloured |
| Bronzeada | Sun-tanned |
| Bugrezinha-escura | Dark-skinned India |
| Burro-quando-foge | Disappearing donkey (i.e. nondescript) humorous |
| Cabocla | Copper-coloured ( refers to civilized Indians) |
| Cabo-verde | From Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) |
| Café | Coffee-coloured |
| Café-com-leite | Café au lait |
| Canela | Cinnamon |
| Canelada | Somewhat like cinnamon |
| Cardão | Colour of the cardoon, or thistle (blue-violet) |
| Castanha | Chestnut |
| Castanha-clara | Light chestnut |
| Castanha-escura | Dark chestnut |
| Chocolate | Chocolate-coloured |
| Clara | Light-coloured, pale |
| Clarinha | Light-coloured, pale |
| Cobre | Copper-coloured |
| Corada | With a high colour |
| Cor-de-café | Coffee-coloured |
| Cor-de-canela | Cinnamon-coloured |
| Cor-de-cuia | Gourd-coloured |
| Cor-de-leite | Milk-coloured (i.e. milk-white) |
| Cor-de-ouro | Gold-coloured (i.e. golden) |
| Cor-de-rosa | Pink |
| Cor-firme | Steady-coloured |
| Crioula | Creole |
| Encerada | Polished |
| Enxofrada | Pallid |
| Esbranquecimento | Whitening |
| Escura | Dark |
| Escurinha | Very dark |
| Fogoió | Having fiery-coloured hair |
| Galega | Galician or Portuguese |
| Galegada | Somewhat like a Galician or Portuguese |
| Jambo | Light-skinned (the colour of a type of apple) |
| Laranja | Orange |
| Lilás | Lilac |
| Loira | Blonde |
| Loira-clara | Light blonde |
| Loura | Blonde |
| Lourinha | Petite blonde |
| Malaia | Malaysian woman |
| Marinheira | Sailor-woman |
| Marrom | Brown |
| Meio-amarela | Half-yellow |
| Meio-branca | Half-white |
| Meio-morena | Half dark-skinned |
| Meio-preta | Half-black |
| Melada | Honey-coloured |
| Mestiça | Half-caste/mestiza |
| Miscigenação | Miscegenation |
| Mista | Mixed |
| Morena | Dark-skinned, brunette |
| Morena-bem-chegada | Very nearly morena |
| Morena-bronzeada | Sunburnt morena |
| Morena-canelada | Somewhat cinnamon-coloured morena |
| Morena-castanha | Chestnut-coloured morena |
| Morena-clara | Light-skinned morena |
| Morena-cor-de-canela | Cinnamon-coloured morena |
| Morena-jambo | Light-skinned morena |
| Morenada | Somewhat morena |
| Morena-escura | Dark morena |
| Morena-fechada | Dark morena |
| Morenão | Dark-complexioned man |
| Morena-parda | Dark morena |
| Morena-roxa | Purplish morena |
| Morena-ruiva | Red-headed morena |
| Morena-trigueira | Swarthy, dusky morena |
| Moreninha | Petite morena |
| Mulata | Mulatto girl |
| Mulatinha | Little mulatto girl |
| Negra | Negress |
| Negrota | Young negress |
| Pálida | Pale |
| Paraíba | From Paraíba |
| Parda | Brown |
| Parda-clara | Light brown |
| Parda-morena | Brown morena |
| Parda-preta | Black-brown |
| Polaca | Polish woman |
| Pouco-clara | Not very light |
| Pouco-morena | Not very dark-complexioned |
| Pretinha | Black – either young, or small |
| Puxa-para-branco | Somewhat towards white |
| Quase-negra | Almost negro |
| Queimada | Sunburnt |
| Queimada-de-praia | Beach sunburnt |
| Queimada-de-sol | Sunburnt |
| Regular | Regular, normal |
| Retinta | Deep-dyed, very dark |
| Rosa | Rose-coloured (or the rose itself) |
| Rosada | Rosy |
| Rosa-queimada | Sunburnt-rosy |
| Roxa | Purple |
| Ruiva | Redhead |
| Russo | Russian |
| Sapecada | Singed |
| Sarará | Yellow-haired negro |
| Saraúba | (poss. dialect) Untranslatable |
| Tostada | Toasted |
| Trigo | Wheat |
| Trigueira | Brunette |
| Turva | Murky |
| Verde | Green |
| Vermelha | Red |
Below is the original story investigating race in Brazil.
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