Meaning & use
feeling blue
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
feeling sad or unhappy, often for no clear reason.
Grammar: Used as a predicative adjective phrase after 'be' or 'feel': I'm feeling blue.
Patterns
- feeling blue
- be feeling blue
- feel a bit blue
I've been feeling blue since my best friend moved away.
He listens to sad songs when he's feeling blue.
She felt blue after the holidays ended.
phraseidiominformal
slightly depressed or lacking energy, often temporarily.
Grammar: Often used with 'a little' or 'a bit': feeling a little blue.
Patterns
- feeling a little blue
- feeling kind of blue
After the rainy weekend, I was feeling a little blue.
He gets feeling blue every winter when it's dark.
Common combinations
- feeling a bit blue
- She's been feeling a bit blue since her cat died.
- feeling blue about something
- He was feeling blue about his exam results.
- feeling really blue
- After the breakup, he was feeling really blue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sad
- Sad is the general word; feeling blue is informal and often suggests a mild, temporary sadness.
- depressed
- Depressed is stronger and can refer to a medical condition; feeling blue is a lighter, everyday expression.
- down
- Down is similar in tone but more common in British English; feeling blue is understood in both varieties.
Opposites
Commonly confused: feeling blue or blue?
feeling blue vs blue
'Blue' alone can mean the color, or (informally) sad. 'Feeling blue' is the fixed phrase for sadness.
Practice
What does 'feeling blue' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Feeling blue' is an informal idiom that means feeling sad or unhappy. It does not mean cold, angry, or tired.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feeling blue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.