blue

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having the color of a cloudless sky or deep sea water.

   Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after a linking verb: a blue coat, the coat is blue.

   Patterns

   • blue with something
   • a blue something

   She painted the bedroom walls a soft blue shade.

   His lips turned blue after the long swim in cold water.

   The blue jacket on the hook is mine.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformal

   Feeling unhappy or low in spirits, often for no clear reason.

   Grammar: Usually follows a verb such as feel or look: I feel blue today.

   Patterns

   • feel blue
   • look blue

   I felt a bit blue after my friends moved away.

   Rainy Mondays always leave him feeling blue.

   You look blue; do you want to talk about it?

3. 3nouncountable or uncountable

   The color of a clear daytime sky, or a paint, dye or cloth of that color.

   Grammar: Uncountable for the color in general, countable for kinds: a pale blue, several blues.

   Patterns

   • dressed in blue
   • a shade of blue

   The artist mixed a deep blue for the ocean.

   Most of the team wore blue on match day.

   Navy and royal blue are two of my favorite blues.

Word forms

Common combinations

deep blue

The lake looked a deep blue under the afternoon sun.

light blue

He packed a light blue shirt for the interview.

feel blue

Some people feel blue when winter days get short.

out of the blue

She called me out of the blue after ten years.

blue sky

We waited for a patch of blue sky before setting off.

navy blue

The school uniform is navy blue with a white collar.

Synonyms and how they differ

azure

Azure is a literary word for a bright sky blue, while blue covers every shade and is far more common in daily speech.

sad

Sad is the plain, general word for unhappiness, whereas blue is informal and suggests a milder, passing low mood.

down

Down is also informal, but it works only after a verb (feeling down), while blue can also sit before a noun in some phrases.

depressed

Depressed sounds heavier and can be a clinical term, whereas feeling blue implies a lighter and more temporary sadness.

Opposites

Word family

bluish adjective

slightly blue in color

blueness noun

the quality of being blue

blues noun

a feeling of sadness, or a slow style of music that grew from African American songs

bluebell noun

a woodland plant with blue bell-shaped flowers

bluely adverb

in a blue way (rare)

Commonly confused: blue or blew?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “blue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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