ABSTRACTDue to their high crystallinity and inertness, the coloration of meta‐aramid fiber has been widely confirmed to be difficult. Though substantial improvements have been achieved, the dyeing of this fiber still requires high temperature and long duration for good color strength and shade. In this article, grafting poly(acrylic acid), a polyelectrolyte, onto meta‐aramind fibers followed by dyeing via conventional pad‐dry‐cure technique resulted in good dyeing and a decrease the dyeing time and temperature. Dyed samples that possess industrially acceptable K/S values were produced in 15 minutes at room temperature (25–27 °C) under neutral pH. Dyed samples had good dry and wet crockfastness. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48190.