White vs. Cream — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 21, 2024
White is a pure color without hue, symbolizing simplicity and cleanliness, while cream is a warm, light yellowish color, often evoking a soft, cozy feeling.
Difference Between White and Cream
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
White is a pure color that lacks any hue, often associated with simplicity, cleanliness, and modernity. It is widely used in design and fashion for its versatility and the way it enhances light and space. White can reflect and amplify light, making spaces feel larger and more open. Cream, on the other hand, is a warm, light yellowish color that derives its name from the color of dairy cream. It evokes a sense of warmth, coziness, and comfort, often used in interior design to create inviting and relaxed spaces. Cream tones add a soft elegance and can complement a variety of other colors without being stark or overwhelming.
In fashion, white is a staple for creating crisp, clean looks and is often chosen for its timeless appeal and ability to pair with any other color. Cream offers a softer alternative, providing a subtle warmth that is particularly favored in autumn and winter collections for its comforting undertones.
White is frequently used in minimalistic designs due to its clean and uncluttered appearance, whereas cream is preferred for traditional or rustic styles, lending a touch of warmth and softness to the decor. Both colors are neutral, but they bring different moods and atmospheres to a space or outfit.
White is associated with purity and brightness, making it ideal for creating a sense of space and clarity, while cream introduces a touch of warmth and softness, making environments feel more intimate and welcoming.
Comparison Chart
Color Description
Pure color without hue
Warm, light yellowish color
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Symbolism
Simplicity, cleanliness, purity
Warmth, coziness, comfort
Design Usage
Modern, minimalist
Traditional, rustic
Fashion Application
Crisp, timeless
Soft, comforting
Visual Effect
Enhances light, opens space
Adds warmth, feels inviting
Compare with Definitions
White
A color devoid of hue, the lightest color.
The walls were painted white to make the room appear larger.
Cream
A pale yellow to yellowish white.
White
Associated with cleanliness and simplicity.
She chose a white dress for the wedding.
Cream
A warm, light yellowish color.
The cream sofa added a cozy touch to the living room.
White
Common in minimalist design.
The white furniture created a sleek, modern look.
Cream
Evokes a sense of warmth and comfort.
She wore a cream sweater to stay warm.
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of fresh snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black.
Cream
Derived from the color of dairy cream.
The cream-colored paint gave the kitchen a soft, inviting feel.
White
The achromatic color of maximum lightness; the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; the complement or antagonist of black, the other extreme of the neutral gray series. Although typically a response to maximum stimulation of the retina, the perception of white appears always to depend on contrast.
Cream
Soft and subtle, pairs well with earth tones.
The cream scarf was a perfect accessory for her autumn outfit.
White
The albumen of an egg.
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top.
White
The white part of an eyeball.
Cream
The yellowish fatty component of unhomogenized milk that tends to accumulate at the surface.
White
A blank or unprinted area, as of an advertisement.
Cream
Any of various substances resembling or containing cream
Hand cream.
White
Whites Pieces of laundry having a white or nearly white color.
Cream
The choicest part
The cream of the crop.
White
Whites White pants or a white outfit of a special nature
Tennis whites.
Cream
To form cream.
White
Whites The white dress uniform of the US Navy or Coast Guard.
Cream
To form foam or froth at the top.
White
A white wine.
Cream
To have an orgasm.
White
A white pigment.
Cream
To be excited or delighted about something.
White
A white breed, species, or variety of animal.
Cream
To remove the cream from; skim.
White
Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Pierinae, characteristically having chiefly white wings often with black markings.
Cream
To take or remove (the best part)
Creamed off the highest-paying jobs for her cronies.
White
Also White A member of a racial group having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin.
Cream
To take the best part from
Creamed the whole department to form his management team.
White
Often whites Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar.
Cream
To beat into a creamy consistency.
White
The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.
Cream
To prepare or cook in or with a cream sauce.
White
The player using these pieces.
Cream
To add cream to.
White
The outermost ring of an archery target.
Cream
To defeat overwhelmingly
Creamed our rival on their home court.
White
A hit in this ring.
Cream
To damage severely; destroy
My camera got creamed when I dropped it.
White
Whites(Medicine) Leukorrhea.
Cream
Vulgar Slang To have an orgasm in (one's pants, for example).
White
White A member of a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.
Cream
The butterfat/milkfat part of milk which rises to the top; this part when separated from the remainder.
Take 100 ml of cream and 50 grams of sugar…
White
Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.
Cream
The liquid separated from milk, possibly with certain other milk products added, and with at least eighteen percent of it milkfat.
White
Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale
White wine.
Cream
The liquid separated from milk containing at least 18 percent milkfat (48% for double cream).
White
Pale gray; silvery and lustrous
White hair.
Cream
(tea and coffee) A portion of cream, such as the amount found in a creamer.
I take my coffee with two cream and three sugar.
White
Bloodless; blanched.
Cream
A yellowish white colour; the colour of cream.
White
Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.
Cream
(informal) Frosting, custard, creamer, or another substance similar to the oily part of milk or to whipped cream.
White
Also White Of or belonging to a racial group of people having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin, and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin
Voting patterns within the white population.
Cream
(figuratively) The best part of something.
The cream of the crop
The cream of a collection of books or pictures
White
Habited in white
White nuns.
Cream
(medicine) A viscous aqueous oil/fat emulsion with a medicament added, used to apply that medicament to the skin. (compare with ointment)
You look really sunburnt; you should apply some cream.
White
Accompanied by or mantled with snow
A white Christmas.
Cream
(obsolete) The chrism or consecrated oil used in anointing ceremonies.
White
Incandescent
White flames.
Cream
Cream-coloured; having a yellowish white colour.
White
Intensely heated; impassioned
White with fury.
Cream
To puree, to blend with a liquifying process.
Cream the vegetables with the olive oil, flour, salt and water mixture.
White
White Of or relating to a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.
Cream
To turn a yellowish white colour; to give something the color of cream.
White
With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.
Cream
(slang) To obliterate, to defeat decisively.
We creamed the opposing team!
White
(Archaic) Unsullied; pure.
Cream
To ejaculate used of either gender.
White
(Printing) To cover or make illegible with white coloring. Often used with out.
Cream
To ejaculate in (clothing or a bodily orifice).
White
Bright and colourless; reflecting equal quantities of all frequencies of visible light.
Write in black ink on white paper.
Cream
To rub, stir, or beat (butter) into a light creamy consistency.
White
(sometimes capitalized) Of or relating to Caucasians, people of European descent with light-coloured skin.
Cream
(transitive) To skim, or take off by skimming, as cream.
White
Designated for use by Caucasians.
White drinking fountain
White hospital
Cream
To take off the best or choicest part of.
White
Relatively light or pale in colour.
White wine
White grapes
White birch
Cream
(transitive) To furnish with, or as if with, cream.
White
Pale or pallid, as from fear, illness, etc.
Cream
(intransitive) To gather or form cream.
White
Lacking coloration (tan) from ultraviolet light; not tanned.
Cream
The rich, oily, and yellowish part of milk, which, when the milk stands unagitated, rises, and collects on the surface. It is the part of milk from which butter is obtained.
White
Affected by leucism.
Cream
The part of any liquor that rises, and collects on the surface.
White
(of coffee or tea) Containing cream, milk, or creamer.
Cream
A delicacy of several kinds prepared for the table from cream, etc., or so as to resemble cream.
White
The standard denomination of the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the white set, no matter what the actual colour.
The white pieces in this set are in fact made of light green glass.
Cream
A cosmetic; a creamlike medicinal preparation.
In vain she tries her paste and creams,To smooth her skin or hide its seams.
White
Pertaining to an ecclesiastical order whose adherents dress in white habits; Cistercian.
Cream
The best or choicest part of a thing; the quintessence; as, the cream of a jest or story; the cream of a collection of books or pictures.
Welcome, O flower and cream of knights errant.
White
Honourable, fair; decent.
Cream
To skim, or take off by skimming, as cream.
White
Grey, as from old age; having silvery hair; hoary.
Cream
To take off the best or choicest part of.
White
(archaic) Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favourable.
Cream
To furnish with, or as with, cream.
Creaming the fragrant cups.
White
(obsolete) Regarded with especial favour; favourite; darling.
Cream
To form or become covered with cream; to become thick like cream; to assume the appearance of cream; hence, to grow stiff or formal; to mantle.
There are a sort of men whose visagesDo cream and mantle like a standing pool.
White
(politics) Pertaining to constitutional or anti-revolutionary political parties or movements.
Cream
The best people or things in a group;
The cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War
White
(of tea) Made from immature leaves and shoots.
Cream
The part of milk containing the butterfat
White
(typography) Not containing characters; see white space.
Cream
Toiletry consisting of any of various substances resembling cream that have a soothing and moisturizing effect when applied to the skin
White
(typography) Said of a symbol or character outline, not solid, not filled with color. Compare said of a character or symbol filled with color.
Cream
Make creamy by beating;
Cream the butter
White
Characterised by the presence of snow.
A white Christmas
A white Easter
Cream
Put on cream, as on one's face or body;
She creams her face every night
White
(of a set of armor) Alwhite, pertaining to white armor.
Cream
Remove from the surface;
Skim cream from the surface of milk
White
The color/colour of snow or milk; the colour of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths.
Cream
Add cream to one's coffee, for example
White
A person of European descent with light-coloured skin.
Cream
Often used in traditional or rustic design.
The cream curtains complemented the wooden furniture.
White
Any butterfly of the subfamily Pierinae in the family Pieridae.
White
White wine.
White
White coffee
White
(countable) Any object or substance that is of the color white.
White
The albumen of bird eggs (egg white).
White
(anatomy) The sclera, white of the eye.
White
The cue ball in cue games.
White
Cocaine
White
The snow- or ice-covered "green" in snow golf.
White
A white pigment.
Venice white
White
A white bean
White
(archery) The central part of the butt, which was formerly painted white; the centre of a mark at which a missile is shot.
White
The enclosed part of a letter of the alphabet, especially when handwritten.
White
A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade.
White
(transitive) To make white; to whiten; to bleach.
White
Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; - the opposite of black or dark; as, white paper; a white skin.
White as the whitest lily on a stream.
White
Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear.
Or whispering with white lips, "The foe!They come! they come!"
White
Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure.
White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear.
No whiter page than Addison's remains.
White
Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary.
Your high engendered battles 'gainst a headSo old and white as this.
White
Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable.
On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life.
White
Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling.
Come forth, my white spouse.
I am his white boy, and will not be gullet.
Driving their cattle continually with them, and feeding only upon their milk and white meats.
A pistol charged with white powder.
White
Something having the color of snow; something white, or nearly so; as, the white of the eye.
White
Specifically, the central part of the butt in archery, which was formerly painted white; the center of a mark at which a missile is shot.
'T was I won the wager, though you hit the white.
White
A person with a white skin; a member of the white, or Caucasian, races of men.
White
A white pigment; as, Venice white.
White
Any one of numerous species of butterflies belonging to Pieris, and allied genera in which the color is usually white. See Cabbage butterfly, under Cabbage.
White
To make white; to whiten; to whitewash; to bleach.
Whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of . . . uncleanness.
So as no fuller on earth can white them.
White
A member of the Caucasoid race
White
The quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
White
Australian writer (1912-1990)
White
United States political journalist (1915-1986)
White
United States architect (1853-1906)
White
United States writer noted for his humorous essays (1899-1985)
White
United States educator who in 1865 (with Ezra Cornell) founded Cornell University and served as its first president (1832-1918)
White
A tributary of the Mississippi River that flows southeastward through northern Arkansas and southern Missouri
White
(board games) the lighter pieces
White
(usually in the plural) trousers
White
Turn white;
This detergent will whiten your laundry
White
Being of the achromatic color of maximum lightness; having little or no hue owing to reflection of almost all incident light;
As white as fresh snow
A bride's white dress
White
Of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration;
Voting patterns within the white population
White
Free from moral blemish or impurity; unsullied;
In shining white armor
White
Marked by the presence of snow;
A white Christmas
The white hills of a northern winter
White
Restricted to whites only;
Under segregation there were even white restrooms and white drinking fountains
A lily-white movement which would expel Negroes from the organization
White
Glowing white with heat;
White flames
A white-hot center of the fire
White
Benevolent; without malicious intent;
White magic
A white lie
That's white of you
White
Of a surface; not written or printed on;
Blank pages
Fill in the blank spaces
A clean page
Wide white margins
White
(of coffee) having cream or milk added
White
Dressed (or especially habited) in white;
White nuns
White
(of hair) having lost its color;
The white hairs of old age
White
Ash-colored or anemic looking from illness or emotion;
A face turned ashen
The invalid's blanched cheeks
Tried to speak with bloodless lips
A face livid with shock
Lips...livid with the hue of death
Lips white with terror
A face white with rage
White
Of summer nights in northern latitudes where the sun barely sets;
White nights
White
Reflects and disperses light.
White curtains allow natural light to fill the room.
White
Versatile and pairs with any other color.
The white sneakers matched her outfit perfectly.
Common Curiosities
Where is cream commonly used?
Cream is often used in traditional or rustic designs to add warmth and a cozy feel.
Is white a versatile color?
Yes, white is highly versatile and pairs well with any other color.
Does cream make a space feel larger?
Cream can make a space feel warm and inviting, but white is more effective at making spaces feel larger.
Can cream be used in minimalist design?
Cream is less common in minimalist design but can be used to add a touch of warmth.
Is cream a neutral color?
Yes, cream is considered a neutral color with a warm undertone.
Which color is better for creating a bright, open space?
White is better for creating a bright and open space.
What is the main difference between white and cream?
White is a pure color without hue, while cream is a warm, light yellowish color.
Which color is better for creating a cozy atmosphere?
Cream is better for creating a cozy and warm atmosphere.
Does white reflect light?
Yes, white reflects and disperses light, enhancing brightness.
Where is white commonly used?
White is commonly used in modern and minimalist designs for its clean and uncluttered appearance.
Can white be used in traditional design?
Yes, white can be used in traditional design, though it is more commonly associated with modern aesthetics.
What symbolism is associated with white?
White symbolizes simplicity, cleanliness, and purity.
What symbolism is associated with cream?
Cream symbolizes warmth, coziness, and comfort.
Is cream more suitable for certain seasons?
Cream is particularly suitable for autumn and winter for its warm, comforting feel.
Is cream a good choice for fashion in colder months?
Yes, cream is a popular choice for fashion in autumn and winter due to its warm undertones.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited 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.
