A palette (see QPalette) consists of colors assigned to various color roles within the three color groups (see Color groups). The following is a list of possible symbols to denote color roles, and their meanings.
| Role | Meaning |
| 'window' | Window background. Views may also use this role, for example to derive the color of their border. It is also the background of StaticText. |
| 'windowText' | Text on top of 'window', for example in StaticText. |
| 'button' | Everything button-alike. For example Button background, as well as Slider thumb. |
| 'buttonText' | Text on top of 'button'. |
| 'brightText' | May be used for text on pressed Button. |
| 'base' | Background of views that display a lot of text (TextView, ListView, etc.). |
| 'baseText' | Text on top of 'base'. |
| 'alternateBase' | ListView may use alternate background colors for rows. |
| 'toolTipBase' | Background of tooltips. |
| 'toolTipText' | Text of tooltips. |
| 'highlight' | Used to indicate selection, as in ListView, etc. |
| 'highlightText' | Selected text / item. |
| 'link' | Default color for links on a web page. |
| 'linkVisited' | Default color for visited links on a web page. |
Additionally, the following roles are used to create 3D effects:
| Role | Meaning |
| 'light' | Lighter than 'button'. |
| 'midlight' | Between 'button' and 'light'. |
| 'middark' | Between 'button' and 'dark'. |
| 'dark' | Darker than 'button'. |
| 'shadow' | A very dark color. |