diff --git a/backend.lisp b/backend.lisp
index aa07f6f192d3937f4739be913289f5700332738c..198289a92d88f3ea84dbb1416487b225373b8a56 100644
--- a/backend.lisp
+++ b/backend.lisp
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
 
 (defparameter *default-columns* 80)
 (defparameter *default-lines* 24)
+(defparameter *highlight-color* :green
+  "Color to use for highlighting parentheses. NIL is the current foreground
+color bolded, other options are :BLACK, :RED, :GREEN, :YELLOW, :BLUE,
+:MAGENTA, :CYAN, and :WHITE.")
 
 (defclass backend ()
   ((ready-p :accessor backend-ready-p :initform nil)
diff --git a/linedit.asd b/linedit.asd
index 8589584211f79da5077980059264a68428350302..c1f4e6e653c1a7557c051ce6990ca9a620b15c0a 100644
--- a/linedit.asd
+++ b/linedit.asd
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
     (error 'operation-error :component c :operation o)))
 
 (defsystem :linedit
-    :version "0.17.3"
+    :version "0.17.4"
     :description "Readline-style library."
     :licence "MIT"
     :author "Nikodemus Siivola <nikodemus@sb-studio.net>"
diff --git a/packages.lisp b/packages.lisp
index 91764e6d47c728e5e2c670f6a4758cb119974da0..7d782e051c907ab72502fb492a3647414edc7b07 100644
--- a/packages.lisp
+++ b/packages.lisp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
    #:formedit
    #:*default-columns*
    #:*default-lines*
+   #:*highlight-color*
    #:install-repl
    #:uninstall-repl
    #:start-debug
diff --git a/smart-terminal.lisp b/smart-terminal.lisp
index e219626c56e020d951937a16d6907f38f6eb338c..f30d9373cdefe2454cb895b058b5e0eb9f47fae0 100644
--- a/smart-terminal.lisp
+++ b/smart-terminal.lisp
@@ -72,6 +72,15 @@
   (loop repeat up do (ti:tputs ti:cursor-up))
   (ti:tputs ti:column-address col))
 
+(defun paren-style ()
+  (concat
+   (when *highlight-color*
+     (ti:tparm
+      ti:set-a-foreground
+      (or (position *highlight-color* '(:black :red :green :yellow :blue :magenta :cyan :white))
+          (error "Unknown color: ~S" *highlight-color*))))
+   ti:enter-bold-mode))
+
 (defmethod display ((backend smart-terminal) &key prompt line point markup)
   (let* (;; SBCL and CMUCL traditionally point *terminal-io* to /dev/tty,
          ;; and we do output on it assuming it goes to STDOUT. Binding
@@ -94,8 +103,8 @@
 	    old-row 1))
     (multiple-value-bind (marked-line markup)
 	(if markup
-	    (dwim-mark-parens line point 
-			      :pre-mark ti:enter-bold-mode
+	    (dwim-mark-parens line point
+			      :pre-mark (paren-style)
 			      :post-mark ti:exit-attribute-mode)
 	    (values line point))
 	(let* ((full (concat prompt marked-line))