sky blue

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A light, bright blue color, like a clear daytime sky.

   Grammar: Uncountable: say "a shade of sky blue," not "a sky blue" for the color itself.

   Patterns

   • in sky blue
   • a shade of sky blue
   • the sky blue of something

   She painted the nursery in sky blue.

   The team's new shirts are a bright sky blue.

   I love the sky blue of the sea on a sunny morning.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Having a light, bright blue color like a clear sky.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a sky-blue scarf; the scarf is sky blue.

   Patterns

   • sky-blue something
   • be sky blue

   He wore a sky-blue shirt to the interview.

   The walls are sky blue with white clouds painted on them.

   Her eyes are a lovely sky blue.

Common combinations

sky-blue eyes

The baby has bright sky-blue eyes.

a sky-blue sky

It was a perfect day with a clear sky-blue sky.

paint something sky blue

They painted the kitchen sky blue.

a shade of sky blue

This wall is a soft shade of sky blue.

Synonyms and how they differ

azure

Azure is a more literary or technical word for a deep sky blue and is less common in everyday speech.

light blue

Light blue is the general term; sky blue is more specific and suggests the exact color of a clear sky.

cerulean

Cerulean is a formal, literary word for a deep blue; sky blue is the everyday choice.

Opposites

Word family

sky noun

The space above the earth where clouds and birds appear.

blue adjective

Having the color of a clear sky or the deep sea.

Commonly confused: sky blue or navy blue? sky blue or sky-blue?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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