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blue definition

blue (blo̵̅o̅)

adjective

  1. having the color of the clear sky or the deep sea
  2. having a bluish cast or tinge

  3. Etymology: infl. by ME blo < ON blā, livid

    livid: said of the skin
  4. sad and gloomy; depressed or depressing
  5. balefully murky the air was blue with oaths
  6. puritanical; rigorous
  7. wearing blue garments Blue Nuns
  8. Informal indecent; risqué; suggestive

Etymology: ME & OFr bleu < Frank *blao < IE base *bhlē-wos, light-colored, blue, blond, yellow > L flavus, yellow, Brythonic blawr, gray, OE blæwen, blue, Ger blau

noun

  1. the color of the clear sky or the deep sea; any color between green and violet in the spectrum
  2. any blue pigment or dye
  3. bluing
  4. anything colored blue, as the third circle of an archer's target
    1. blue clothing
    2. a person or group wearing a blue uniform
    3. ☆ a Union soldier
    4. a sailor's blue uniform
  6. bluestocking
  7. ☆ bluefish
  8. blueline: usually used in pl.

transitive verb, intransitive verb blued, bluing blu′·ing or blueing blue′·ing

to make or become blue
blue Idioms

out of the blue

as if from the sky; without being expected or foreseen

the blue

  1. the sky
  2. the sea

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms blue idiom

blue Synonyms

blue

modif.

  1. One of the primary colors

    of the color of the sky, azure, cerulean, sky-blue.

    Hues of blue include: indigo, watchet, sapphire, sapphirine, turquoise, smalt, lapis lazuli, aquamarine, aqua, blue-black, blue-green; royal, Prussian, navy, Dumont's, king's, starch, powder, baby, Paris, cobalt, Antwerp, Haarlem, mineral, Parma, Napoleon, Chinese, robin's egg, pale, teal, sky, slate, light, dark, deep, livid, electric, etc., blue.

  2. *Despondent

    depressed, moody, melancholy; see sad 1.

once in a blue moon

rarely, infrequently, once in a while; see seldom.


blue

n.

  1. One of the primary colors

    blueness, bluing, azure, sky blue; see blue (modif.) 1, color 1.

  2. Heavens

    sky, vault of the sky, ether, the wild blue yonder*; see heaven 1, sky, space 1.

out of the blue

unforeseen, surprising, sudden, unanticipated; see unexpected.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

blue Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • banish: March 10th Town temporarily banish the away-day blues with a 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Adjective modifier

  • pale: This meant that newer coaches appeared very pale blue in color, becoming more white or cream with time.

Modifies a noun

  • sky: There where no allied aircraft to be seen anywhere in the blue sky.

Noun used with modifier

  • methylene: Methylene blue is a good example of a polychrome stain, which in this context really does amount to unpredictability.
blue usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

blue quotes

  I will get me a bottle of Boston sea And a blue-gum nigger to sing me blues. I am tired of loving a foreign muse.

-Bene¤  t, StephenVincent

The chic old blue-haired ladies†chew in mute chandeliered isolation.

-Capote,Truman

The blue ribbon of the turf.

-Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

blue quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"blue." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/blue>

APA Style

blue. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/blue

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