blue
blue
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "blue" is /bluː/.
bluː:
/b/ - voiced bilabial stop
/l/ - voiced alveolar lateral approximant
/uː/ - close back rounded vowel
Word Form Variations
Adjective: blue (comparative: bluer; superlative: bluest)
Noun: blue (plural: blues)
Verb: blue (third-person singular present: blues; present participle: blueing or bluing; past tense: blued; past participle: blued)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition 1: Describing the color of the clear sky on a sunny day, or the color of the deep sea; a primary color positioned between green and violet in the visible spectrum.
Synonyms: azure, cerulean, sapphire, indigo
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms based on color itself, but can be contrasted with other colors like red, yellow, green, etc.)
Definition 2: Feeling or showing sadness, melancholy, or depression.
Synonyms: sad, downcast, despondent, mournful, gloomy, unhappy
Antonyms: happy, joyful, cheerful, ecstatic, elated
Definition 3: (Informal) Describing something unexpected, surprising, or out of the ordinary, often in a negative sense.
Synonyms: sudden, unexpected, surprising, abrupt
Antonyms: expected, anticipated, predictable
Definition 4: (Of language or content) Indecent, vulgar, or obscene.
Synonyms: offensive, crude, risqué, bawdy, indecent
Antonyms: polite, clean, proper, wholesome, decent
Noun
Definition 1: The color blue.
Synonyms: azure, cerulean, indigo (when referring to the specific hue)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms based on color itself)
Definition 2: A feeling or state of sadness or depression (often used in the plural, "the blues").
Synonyms: melancholy, gloom, despondency, sorrow, low spirits
Antonyms: happiness, joy, cheerfulness, elation
Definition 3: (Often "the blue") The sky or the sea.
Synonyms: sky, ocean, heavens, firmament
Antonyms: land, ground (when contrasting with sky/sea)
Verb
Definition 1: To make something blue, or to become blue.
Synonyms: color, dye, tint, stain
Antonyms: decolorize, bleach, whiten
Definition 2: (Informal) To spend money recklessly or quickly; to waste.
Synonyms: squander, dissipate, blow (informal), waste
Antonyms: save, economize, hoard, conserve
Examples of Use
Books:
"He spent many blue hours staring out at the rain, lost in thought about his past." (Fictional novel, author uncredited) - Example of "blue" as sad/melancholy.
"The Great Gatsby's iconic green light across the bay was often contrasted with the deep blue of the water beneath it." (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby) - Example of "blue" as a color.
Newspapers:
"The stock market experienced a blue day, with major indices falling sharply amidst economic concerns." (Business section, The Wall Street Journal) - Example of "blue" as negative/unfavorable.
"Emergency services were called to a 'Code Blue' situation at the hospital, indicating a patient in critical cardiac arrest." (Local News Daily) - Example of "blue" in a specific medical code context.
Online Publications:
"Why the latest fashion trend is all about embracing various shades of blue." (Fashion blog, Vogue.com) - Example of "blue" as a color.
"Tech giant unveils new 'Deep Blue' AI system, promising unprecedented processing power." (Technology news site, Wired.com) - Example of "blue" as part of a proper noun/product name.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Music: "I've got the blues, baby, ever since you left me." (Lyrics from a blues song, commonly found on platforms like Spotify or Apple Music) - Example of "blue" as a musical genre and feeling of sadness.
Film: In the movie Avatar, the Na'vi people are distinctly blue-skinned. (James Cameron, Avatar) - Example of "blue" as a color.
Television: "The detective followed a series of 'cold blue' leads that eventually led to a breakthrough in the case." (Crime drama series, aired on Netflix) - Example of "blue" (cold blue) indicating a difficult/stalled investigation.
Video Games: Many fantasy games feature potions that restore mana, often depicted as glowing with a blue aura. (Common trope in RPGs like World of Warcraft or The Elder Scrolls) - Example of "blue" as a color associated with magic/mana.
General Public Discourse:
"Wow, that came out of the blue! I wasn't expecting that at all." (Casual conversation between friends) - Example of "blue" meaning unexpected.
"The new regulations are a bit of a blue pill to swallow for small businesses." (Discussion on a public forum) - Example of "blue" (blue pill) implying something difficult or unpalatable, referencing a common idiom.
"He's been feeling a bit blue lately, ever since he lost his job." (Conversation among colleagues) - Example of "blue" meaning sad.
"Don't tell your grandmother that joke, it's a bit too blue for her." (Parent advising a child) - Example of "blue" meaning vulgar/indecent.
10 Famous Quotes Using Blue
"The blue of the sky is the most beautiful blue in the world." (Vincent van Gogh)
"Every day is a fresh start; every day is a new beginning. Every day, you can choose to be happy or you can choose to have the blues." (Willie Nelson)
"I believe in the cosmos. All of us are connected to the cosmos. So nature is part of us. We are part of nature. I love to walk in the forest and look at the trees and the blue sky. It's so beautiful." (Jochen Zeitz)
"You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars. And my favorite color is blue." (E. E. Cummings, adapted from his poem 'you are my sun')
"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will fall frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." (D.H. Lawrence, reflecting a stoic approach often contrasted with feeling "blue")
"There are no facts, only interpretations." (Friedrich Nietzsche, a philosophical quote that, while not containing "blue," can be seen as a counterpoint to fixed states like "the blues")
"Into the blue!" (Common idiom, often associated with pilots or adventurers setting off into the unknown)
"Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic." (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, another quote that, while not using "blue," speaks to the melancholic undertone that "blue" can represent)
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings." (John F. Kennedy, a quote advocating for transparency, which could metaphorically be contrasted with things "in the blue" or unknown)
"The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning." (John Lee Hooker)
Etymology
The word "blue" in English has a fascinating history! It comes from the Middle English "bleu" or "blewe," which was borrowed from the Old French word "bleu." This Old French word, in turn, has Germanic roots, specifically from a Proto-Germanic word like "*blæwaz." This earlier Germanic word generally meant something like "dark blue," "livid" (like a bruise), or even "shimmering."
Interestingly, the very earliest roots of this word in Indo-European languages (the big family of languages that includes English, French, German, and many others) might have been related to words that meant "light-colored," "yellow," or "blond." This shows how color terms could shift and change meanings over a very long time.
So, while we strongly associate "blue" with the color of the sky and sea today, its ancestors weren't always so specific to that one color.
The first known use of "blue" in writing in English, referring to the color, is around the year 1300. It appeared in a collection of saints' lives called the South English Legendary, where it described "fair blue cloth."
It's also worth noting that many ancient languages, including Greek and Latin, didn't have a single, widely used word for the color "blue" as we do today. They might have described things using words for "sky-colored" or "sea-colored." Blue pigments and dyes were also quite rare and expensive for a long time, often made from precious stones like lapis lazuli or synthetic "Egyptian blue," which might have contributed to the slower development of a dedicated word for it in many languages compared to colors like red, black, and white.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Blue
Out of the blue: Suddenly and unexpectedly.
Feel blue/Have the blues: To feel sad or depressed.
Blue-collar: Relating to manual labor or workers who perform it.
Blue blood: Belonging to a noble or aristocratic family.
Blue ribbon: Signifying first-place achievement or highest quality.
Blue moon: A rare occurrence (referring to "once in a blue moon").
Blue-eyed boy: A favored person.
Into the blue: Disappearing or going into an unknown place, often the sky or ocean.
Talk a blue streak: To talk very rapidly and at length.
Blue in the face: Exhausted from fruitless effort (e.g., "argue until you're blue in the face").
True blue: Loyal and unwavering.
Blue plate special: A low-cost meal offered in a restaurant.
Blue funk: A state of great fear, panic, or depression.
Sing the blues: To complain or express unhappiness.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea: In a difficult situation where both choices are unpleasant.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of blue from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
