Meaning & use
Monday blues
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Meaning
nounpluralinformal
a feeling of sadness or low energy that many people have on Monday because the weekend is over and work or school begins.
Grammar: Always plural and usually with 'the': 'the Monday blues'. You can say 'I have the Monday blues' or 'I've got a case of the Monday blues'.
Patterns
- have the Monday blues
- get the Monday blues
- suffer from the Monday blues
I always get the Monday blues after a fun weekend.
She tried to cheer up her colleague who had the Monday blues.
A cup of coffee helps me beat the Monday blues.
Common combinations
- get the Monday blues
- He gets the Monday blues every week.
- have the Monday blues
- I have the Monday blues today.
- beat the Monday blues
- A walk outside can help beat the Monday blues.
- a case of the Monday blues
- She has a bad case of the Monday blues.
Synonyms and how they differ
- post-weekend depression
- This is a more formal, less common way to describe the same feeling.
- back-to-work blues
- This is similar but can refer to returning to work after any break, not just the weekend.
Opposites
Commonly confused: Monday blues or the blues?
Monday blues vs the blues
'The blues' can mean a general feeling of sadness or a type of music. 'Monday blues' specifically refers to the sadness felt at the start of the week.
Practice
After a great weekend, many workers ______ on Monday morning.
Choose one answer.
The expression is always plural and usually takes 'the': 'have the Monday blues'. 'Have Monday blues' is missing 'the', 'a Monday blues' is wrong because it is plural, and 'Monday blue' is singular and not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Monday blues”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.