Blue

/bluː/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The colour of the clear sky or the deep sea; the colour midway between green and violet in the visible spectrum and one of the primary additive colours.
  • Grammar: blue is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: azure, cerulean, navy, absolute.
  • Useful contrasts: Republican, antiblue, blissful.
  • Usage evidence: You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you'll never convince me.

How to use "blue"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blue" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blue" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blue" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blue" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "blue" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "azure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "blue", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The colour of the clear sky or the deep sea; the colour midway between green and violet in the visible spectrum and one of the primary additive colours. countable, uncountable

    "Lady Penrhyn was quite handsome enough to have spared one ingredient in her cup of fascination, but, unfortunately, having been married in her teens, she expected to live in them, and, never being reminded by the trials to which her sex is subject, of the flight of years, and the inroads of suffering, expected time to stand still, and the first bloom of existence (the blue on the plum) to remain as stationary as her own taste, for the pleasures of flirtation."

  2. 2
    A letterman at Oxford or Cambridge.
  3. 3
    any of numerous small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae wordnet
  4. 4
    Anything coloured blue, especially to distinguish it from similar objects differing only in colour. countable, uncountable

    "I don't like red Smarties. Have you got a blue?"

  5. 5
    A member of the Royal Horse Guards (which merged with the 1st Dragoons in 1969) historical

    "Have you heard any news / Of that chap in the Blues / Was it Prosser, or Pyecroft, or Pimm?"

Show 31 more definitions
  1. 6
    the sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnotic wordnet
  2. 7
    A blue dye or pigment. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    Synonym of British Blue (“a breed of cat”).

    "This Blue shows the remarkable, sleek bodyline of the breed."

  4. 9
    blue clothing wordnet
  5. 10
    Blue clothing. uncountable

    "The boys in blue marched to the pipers."

  6. 11
    blue color or pigment; resembling the color of the clear sky in the daytime wordnet
  7. 12
    Blue clothing.; A blue uniform. See blues. countable, in-plural, uncountable
  8. 13
    any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are blue wordnet
  9. 14
    Blue clothing.; A member of a sports team that wears blue colours; (in the plural) a nickname for the team as a whole. See also blues. countable, uncountable

    "Come on, you blues!"

  10. 15
    the sky as viewed during daylight wordnet
  11. 16
    Blue clothing.; An umpire, in reference to the typical dark-blue colour of the umpire's uniform. Sometimes perceived by umpires as derogatory when used by players or coaches while disputing a call. countable, slang, uncountable

    "He was safe! Terrible call, blue!"

  12. 17
    used to whiten laundry or hair or give it a bluish tinge wordnet
  13. 18
    Blue clothing.; Sporting colours awarded by a university or other institution for sporting achievement, such as representing one's university, especially and originally at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England. See also full blue, half blue. countable, uncountable

    "He excelled at rowing and received a blue in the sport at Oxford."

  14. 19
    Blue clothing.; A person who has received such sporting colours. countable, uncountable

    "He was a rugby blue at Cambridge."

  15. 20
    Blue clothing.; A member of law enforcement. countable, slang, uncountable

    "He dialed Kathy to be sure she was okay and see if the blues arrived. She was crying when she picked up the phone. “Kathy, honey, I'm here. It'll be okay. Are the police there?”"

  16. 21
    Blue clothing.; A bluestocking. countable, historical, uncountable
  17. 22
    The sky, literally or figuratively. countable, uncountable

    "The balloon floated up into the blue."

  18. 23
    The ocean; deep waters. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    The far distance; a remote or distant place. countable, uncountable

    "The problem with buffalo as well as most African antelopes as a steady diet is that they have very little marbling or body fat and, after six months out in the blue, one dreams at night of a T-bone steak sizzling in great globules of yellow fat."

  20. 25
    A dog or cat with a slaty gray coat. countable, uncountable

    "On average, blues and other dilutes have weaker coats and skin problems seem more prevalent in the dilutes."

  21. 26
    One of the colour balls used in snooker, with a value of five points. countable, uncountable
  22. 27
    Any of the butterflies of the subfamily Polyommatinae in the family Lycaenidae, most of which have blue on their wings. countable, uncountable
  23. 28
    A bluefish. countable, uncountable

    "When snow falls on the roses, when a mako is beheaded, when the weaks and blues swim south"

  24. 29
    An argument or brawl. Australia, colloquial, countable, uncountable

    ""I had a blue with Dad," said Fay. "He wanted to drive us, I wanted to walk.""

  25. 30
    A liquid with an intense blue colour, added to a laundry wash to prevent yellowing of white clothes. countable, uncountable

    "It was applied methodically, carefully, resolutely, as in the fashion of a Satin-bird with charcoal, desiccated wood or blue from laundry-bags."

  26. 31
    Any of several processes to protect metal against rust. countable, uncountable
  27. 32
    A type of firecracker. British, countable, uncountable

    "Lord Lyttelton's Life by Dr Johnson […] which a whole tribe of Blues, with Mrs Montagu at their Head, have Vowed to execrate and revenge […]"

  28. 33
    One of the three colour charges for quarks. countable, particle, uncountable
  29. 34
    A member or supporter of the Conservative Party. UK, countable, uncountable

    "He is a true blue."

  30. 35
    A blue cheese. countable, uncountable

    ""No, just get over here. You need to try this one!" she exclaimed as she cheesed up a chunk of bread with one of our blues."

  31. 36
    Risqué or pornographic material. slang, uncountable

    "Improvising freely, he entered the stage with a karaoke set and introduced himself as a 'Bohemian street performer', before launching into a series of clubstyle gags and one-liners, promising 'a bit of blue for the Dads'[…]"

Verb
  1. 1
    To make or become blue; to turn blue. ergative

    "It blows, it snows, And blues your nose, My toes are all frost bitten The weather would Quite starve the crows, Or freeze the part you sit on."

  2. 2
    To spend (money) extravagantly; to blow. dated, slang, transitive

    "So far as I can see, there’s nothing to prevent you from drawing a cheque for fifty thousand and blueing the lot."

  3. 3
    turn blue wordnet
  4. 4
    To treat the surface of steel so that it is passivated chemically and becomes more resistant to rust. transitive
  5. 5
    To brighten by treating with blue (laundry aid). transitive
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To fight, brawl, or argue. Australia, intransitive, slang

    "It was years since Ken had flogged her up, but blueing with him still made her ache."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a blue hue.

    "the deep blue sea"

  2. 2
    Depressed, melancholic, sad. informal

    "“Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]”"

  3. 3
    Having a bluish or purplish shade to the skin due to a lack of oxygen to the normally deep-red red blood cells; cyanotic.

    "My hands were blue with cold."

  4. 4
    Pale, without redness or glare.

    "The candle burns blue."

  5. 5
    Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by a political party represented by the colour blue.; Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by the Democratic Party. US

    "I live in a blue constituency.  Congress turned blue in the mid-term elections."

Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by a political party represented by the colour blue.; Supportive of or related to the Liberal Party. Australian

    "Illawarra turns blue in Liberal washout"

  2. 7
    Supportive of, run by (a member of), pertaining to, or dominated by a political party represented by the colour blue.; Supportive of or related to the Conservative Party. UK
  3. 8
    Of, dominated by, or shifted toward the higher-frequency, or "bluer", end of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  4. 9
    Having a colour charge of blue. particle
  5. 10
    Extra rare; left very raw and cold.
  6. 11
    Having a coat of fur of a slaty gray shade.
  7. 12
    Severe or overly strict in morals; gloomy. archaic

    "blue and sour religionists;  blue laws"

  8. 13
    Literary; scholarly; bluestockinged. archaic

    "Some of the ladies were very blue and well informed, reading Mrs. Somerville and frequenting the Royal Institution; others were severe and Evangelical, and held by Exeter Hall."

  9. 14
    Risqué; obscene; profane; pornographic. informal

    "His material is too blue for prime time."

  10. 15
    Drunk. dated, slang

    "My wine I drank and oft got blue / On brandy, gin and whisky too— / Until my reputation gay, / Along with care, was cast away —"

Adjective
  1. 1
    causing dejection wordnet
  2. 2
    of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky wordnet
  3. 3
    characterized by profanity or cursing wordnet
  4. 4
    filled with melancholy and despondency wordnet
  5. 5
    morally rigorous and strict wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy wordnet
  2. 7
    used to signify the Union forces in the American Civil War (who wore blue uniforms) wordnet
  3. 8
    suggestive of sexual impropriety wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from German. An anglicization of German Blau.
  2. 2
    A female given name from English, typically used in conjoined names like Bonnie Blue or Blue Bell. rare
  3. 3
    A male nickname, occasionally used as a formal given name. (Australia) Nickname for a person with ginger hair.

Synonyms

All synonyms
azureceruleannavyabsoluteadultair

Example

"You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you'll never convince me."

Common questions

What does "blue" mean?

The colour of the clear sky or the deep sea; the colour midway between green and violet in the visible spectrum and one of the primary additive colours.

What is a synonym for "blue"?

Common synonyms include: azure, cerulean, navy, absolute, adult, air.

How do you use "blue" in a sentence?

You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you'll never convince me.

How do you pronounce "blue"?

Pronounced /bluː/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English blewe, from Anglo-Norman blew (“blue”), from Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, bleve, blef (“blue”), from Frankish *blāu (“blue”) (perhaps through a Late Latin blāvus, blāvius (“blue”) attested from Isidore of Seville), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue, dark blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰlēw- (“yellow, blond, grey”). Cognate with dialectal English blow (“blue”), Scots blue, blew (“blue”), North Frisian bla, blö (“blue”), Saterland Frisian blau (“blue”), Dutch blauw (“blue”), German blau (“blue”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish blå (“blue”), Icelandic blár (“blue”), Latin flāvus (“yellow”), French bleu (“blue”), Middle Irish blá (“yellow”). Doublet of blow. Possibly related also to English blee (“colour”), from Old English blēo (“colour”); but direct derivatives of Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue, dark blue”) in Old English include: Old English blāw and blēo (“blue”), Old English blǣwen (“bluish, light-blue”), blǣhǣwen (“blue-coloured, bluish, violet or purple colour”, literally “blue-hued”). There seems to be a parallel connection in Germanic between words for blue and colour, dually exemplified by Proto-West Germanic *blīu (“colour, blee”) and *blāu (“blue”); and Proto-Germanic *hiwją (“colour, hue”) and *hēwijaz (“blue, purple”). (depressed): Compare typologically Russian тоска́ зелёная (toská zeljónaja) (<+ зелёный (zeljónyj)).

Etymology 2

Uncertain; possibly from blew (past tense of blow).

Etymology 3

From the German surname, Americanized from Blau or its French cognate Bleu.

More for "blue"

Synonyms

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