Meaning & use
periwinkle blue
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A soft light purple-blue color, like the small flowers of the periwinkle plant.
Grammar: Used as a color name; it usually has no plural and often follows 'in' or a color verb.
Patterns
- in periwinkle blue
- a shade of periwinkle blue
- painted periwinkle blue
The bridesmaids wore dresses in periwinkle blue.
She painted the bedroom walls a gentle periwinkle blue.
Periwinkle blue looks lovely with silver jewelry.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having the soft light purple-blue color of periwinkle flowers.
Grammar: Comes before a noun, as in 'a periwinkle blue scarf'; it is not usually used after 'be' on its own.
Patterns
- periwinkle blue something
- something is periwinkle blue
He bought a periwinkle blue shirt for the wedding.
The sky turned a periwinkle blue just before sunset.
Her periwinkle blue eyes matched the flowers.
Common combinations
- periwinkle blue dress
- She chose a periwinkle blue dress for the spring party.
- pale periwinkle blue
- The artist mixed a pale periwinkle blue for the sky.
- in periwinkle blue
- The whole team was dressed in periwinkle blue.
- periwinkle blue paint
- We bought periwinkle blue paint for the kitchen cabinets.
- shade of periwinkle blue
- This shade of periwinkle blue is hard to find in winter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lavender blue
- Close in meaning, but lavender blue is usually a little more purple and softer than periwinkle blue.
- cornflower blue
- Similar in tone, but cornflower blue is brighter and more clearly blue than periwinkle blue.
- light blue
- A much broader term; use it when you do not need the exact purple-blue shade.
Word family
- periwinkle noun
- The small plant or flower that gives this color its name.
Commonly confused: periwinkle blue or periwinkle?
periwinkle blue vs periwinkle
'Periwinkle' alone can mean the flower, the color, or a small sea snail; 'periwinkle blue' always means the color.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'periwinkle blue' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Color phrases like 'periwinkle blue' go before the noun, so 'a periwinkle blue dress' is correct. Option 2 puts the color after the noun, which is not natural English here; option 3 changes the meaning to a dress with a periwinkle pattern; option 4 wrongly adds a plural -s.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “periwinkle blue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.