I feel blue

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   I feel sad, low, or a little depressed.

   Grammar: Used as a complete statement about your own mood; change only the subject and tense, as in "she feels blue" or "he was feeling blue".

   Patterns

   • I feel blue
   • feel blue about something
   • feel a bit blue

   I feel blue today, so I'm staying home with a cup of tea.

   She said she felt blue after her best friend moved away.

   Don't feel blue about the rain; we can watch a film instead.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformal

   I feel quiet and slightly unhappy for no clear reason.

   Grammar: Often softened with words like "a little" or "kind of" before "blue".

   Patterns

   • I feel a little blue
   • I feel kind of blue

   I feel a little blue in winter when the days are short.

   He feels blue on Sunday evenings before the workweek starts.

Common combinations

feel a bit blue

I feel a bit blue after saying goodbye to everyone.

feel really blue

She felt really blue for a few days after the exam results.

feel blue about something

There's no need to feel blue about one small mistake.

start to feel blue

I start to feel blue when I haven't seen my friends for weeks.

Synonyms and how they differ

down

"Down" is more common in everyday speech and a little less poetic than "blue".

sad

"Sad" is the plain, direct word; "blue" suggests a softer, lingering mood.

low

"Low" often describes a longer period of feeling unhappy, while "blue" can be brief.

Opposites

Word family

blue adjective

The base adjective meaning sad or low in mood.

blueness noun

The state of being blue, usually used for the color, not the mood.

Commonly confused: I feel blue or feel blue?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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