Blue

/bluː/

adjectiveBeginner🔥Very CommonColor
3 meanings1 idiom/phrase2 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

Of the colour between green and violet in the spectrum.

/bluː/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
Color

Having the colour of a clear sky or deep sea.

The dress was a vibrant blue.

💡 Simply: The color of the ocean.

More Examples

2

He has blue eyes.

How It's Used

General

"The sky was a beautiful blue."

Art

"She painted the landscape with various shades of blue."

2

A color or pigment.

/bluː/

nounneutralBeginner
Color

A blue color or pigment.

The artist used a deep blue in the painting.

💡 Simply: The color itself.

More Examples

2

The fabric was dyed a light blue.

How It's Used

Art

"She mixed blue and yellow to create green."

Tip:Think of blue paint.
3

Feeling sad or depressed.

/bluː/

adjectivenegativeIntermediate
Emotion

(Figurative) Sad or depressed.

She was feeling a bit blue.

💡 Simply: Sad.

More Examples

2

The news left him feeling blue.

How It's Used

Informal

"He felt blue after losing the game."

Tip:Feeling 'down in the dumps', like a blue day.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Idioms & expressions

out of the blue

Unexpectedly; without warning.

"The news came out of the blue."

From Old English *blāw, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch blauw and German blau. The original meaning was likely a pale or greyish colour.

The word 'blue' has been used to describe the colour since Old English times, and its figurative use to describe sadness emerged later.

Memory tip

Think of the clear blue sky.

Word Origin

LanguageProto-Germanic
Original meaning

"pale, grey"

Base: blue
deep bluesky bluebright bluefeeling blue

Common misspellings

blewblu

Usage

85%Spoken
90%Written