Gray vs. Silver — What's the Difference?

Intermediate between black and white.

Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin argentum, derived from the Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ: "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.

Indicative of ambiguity.

Symbol Ag A lustrous white, ductile, malleable metallic element, occurring both uncombined and in ores such as argentite, having the highest thermal and electrical conductivity of the metals. It is highly valued for jewelry, tableware, and other ornamental use and is widely used in coinage, photography, dental and soldering alloys, electrical contacts, and printed circuits. Atomic number 47; atomic weight 107.868; melting point 961.78°C; boiling point 2,162°C; specific gravity 10.50 (20°C); valence 1, 2. See Periodic Table.

US spelling of grey

This metallic element as a commodity or medium of exchange.

The SI unit of the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation, corresponding to one joule per kilogram.

Coins made of this metallic element.

Of or relating to an achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

A medal made of silver awarded to one placing second in a competition, as in the Olympics.

Dull or dark

Domestic articles, such as tableware, made of or plated with silver.

Lacking in cheer; gloomy

Tableware, especially eating and serving utensils, made of steel or another metal.

Having gray hair; hoary.

A lustrous medium gray.

Old or venerable.

A silver salt, especially silver nitrate, used to sensitize paper.

Intermediate in character or position, as with regard to a subjective matter

Made of or containing silver

An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

Resembling silver, especially in having a lustrous shine; silvery.

An object or animal of the color gray.

Of a lustrous medium gray

A member of the Confederate Army in the Civil War.

Having a soft, clear, resonant sound.

The Confederate Army.

Eloquent; persuasive

The SI unit for the energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to one joule per kilogram.

Favoring the adoption of silver as a standard of currency

To make gray.

Of or constituting a 25th anniversary.

To become gray.

To cover, plate, or adorn with silver or a similar lustrous substance.

To become old; age.

To give a silver color to.

To include a large or increasing proportion of older people

To coat (photographic paper) with a film of silver nitrate or other silver salt.

Having a color somewhere between white and black, as the ash of an ember.

To become silvery.

Dreary, gloomy.

(uncountable) A lustrous, white, metallic element, atomic number 47, atomic weight 107.87, symbol Ag.

Having an indistinct, disputed or uncertain quality.

Coins made from silver or any similar white metal.

Gray-haired.

Cutlery and other eating utensils, whether silver or made from some other white metal.

Old.

Any items made from silver or any other white metal.

Relating to older people.

(uncountable) A shiny gray color.

To become gray.

(countable) a silver medal

To cause to become gray.

Anything resembling silver; something shiny and white.

To turn progressively older, alluding to graying of hair through aging (used in context of the population of a geographic region)

Made from silver.

To give a soft effect to (a photograph) by covering the negative while printing with a ground-glass plate.

Made from another white metal.

An achromatic colour intermediate between black and white.

Having a color like silver: a shiny gray.

An animal or thing of grey colour, such as a horse, badger, or salmon.

Denoting the twenty-fifth anniversary, especially of a wedding.

An extraterrestrial humanoid with grayish skin, bulbous black eyes, and an enlarged head.

(of commercial services) Premium, but inferior to gold.

A penny with a tail on both sides, used for cheating.

Having the clear, musical tone of silver; soft and clear in sound.

In the International System of Units, the derived unit of absorbed dose of radiation (radiation absorbed by a patient); one joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of the patient's mass. Symbol: Gy

To acquire a silvery colour.

Any color of neutral hue between white and black; white mixed with black, as the color of pepper and salt, or of ashes, or of hair whitened by age; sometimes, a dark mixed color; as, the soft gray eye of a dove.

To cover with silver, or with a silvery metal.

Gray-haired; gray-headed; of a gray color; hoary.

To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like that of silver.

Old; mature; as, gray experience.

To make hoary, or white, like silver.

Gloomy; dismal.

A soft white metallic element, sonorous, ductile, very malleable, and capable of a high degree of polish. It is found native, and also combined with sulphur, arsenic, antimony, chlorine, etc., in the minerals argentite, proustite, pyrargyrite, ceragyrite, etc. Silver is one of the "noble" metals, so-called, not being easily oxidized, and is used for coin, jewelry, plate, and a great variety of articles. Symbol Ag (Argentum). Atomic weight 107.7. Specific gravity 10.5.

A gray color; any mixture of white and black; also, a neutral or whitish tint.

Coin made of silver; silver money.

An animal or thing of gray color, as a horse, a badger, or a kind of salmon.

Anything having the luster or appearance of silver.

The Confederate army or a soldier in the confederate army; as, a battle between the blue and the gray.

The color of silver.

The SI unit of absorbed dosage of ionizing radiation, equal to an absorbed energy of 1 joule per kilogram of irradiated material; - abbreviated Gy. This unit is 100 times the commonly used unit, the rad.

Of or pertaining to silver; made of silver; as, silver leaf; a silver cup.

A neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

Resembling silver.

Gray clothing;

Precious; costly.

Any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are gray;

To cover with silver; to give a silvery appearance to by applying a metal of a silvery color; as, to silver a pin; to silver a glass mirror plate with an amalgam of tin and mercury.

Horse of a light grey or whitish color

To polish like silver; to impart a brightness to, like that of silver.

English poet best known for his elegy written in a country church-yard (1716-1771)

To make hoary, or white, like silver.

American navigator who twice circumnavigated the globe and who discovered the Columbia River (1755-1806)

To acquire a silvery color.

United States botanist who specialized in North American flora and who was an early supporter of Darwin's theories of evolution (1810-1888)

A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

Make gray;

Coins made of silver

Turn gray;

A light shade of gray

An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white;

Silverware eating utensils

Showing characteristics of age, especially having gray or white hair;

A medal made of silver (or having the appearance of silver) that is usually awarded for winning second place in a competition

Darkened with overcast;

Coat with a layer of silver or a silver amalgam;

Used to signify the Confederate forces in the Civil War (who wore gray uniforms);

Make silver in color;

Intermediate in character or position;

Turn silver;

A color without hue.

Made from or largely consisting of silver;

Associated with overcast weather.

Having the white lustrous sheen of silver;

Symbolic of old age.

Lustrous gray; covered with or tinged with the color of silver;

Expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively;

A precious metal.

Reflective and shiny as a color.

Denoting a 25th anniversary.

Color associated with second place.

Used to describe eloquence.

Silver is both a metallic element and a color with a shiny, reflective quality.

No, silver in fashion usually refers to a shiny, metallic quality, unlike matte gray.

Yes, gray can range from very light to very dark, depending on the mix of black and white.

Yes, when they have a shiny or glossy gray coat.

Typically, yes, silver suggests a metallic or reflective surface.

Yes, like "gray area" meaning something unclear or undefined.

While based on gray, silver is not neutral due to its metallic and reflective properties.

Yes, it often implies elegance, quality, or high-tech.

Yes, gray can have blue, green, or other undertones.

It's a term for brain tissue, often used metaphorically for intelligence.

Yes, gray is more common and not typically reflective like silver.

Yes, silver often has positive associations with value and prestige, whereas gray can be seen as dull or mundane.

Gray is generally considered a cool color.

Yes, they have different values; silver often includes a slight blue tint to simulate sheen.

Yes, like the "silver lining" of a cloud.