baby blue

noun

1

: a pale blue

2

baby blues plural : blue eyes

She's a zaftig woman, with long red hair and a pale rose complexion setting off those baby blues.

—Michele Kort

3

baby blues plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a feeling of sadness that is experienced by a woman shortly after giving birth, that is typically accompanied by other symptoms (such as mood swings, crying spells, and insomnia), and that usually lasts less than two weeks : postpartum blues

Baby blues isn't an illness or even a proper psychiatric diagnosis, it is simply a way that people have tried to describe unpleasant feelings that occur shortly after having a baby and tend to resolve in a few days.

—Jackie Ganley

—usually used with the

a case of the baby blues

compare postpartum depression

Examples of baby blue in a Sentence

She gazed into his baby blues.

She had a bad case of the baby blues.

Recent Examples on the Web

The design on her top and skirt was a bit calm–the hues were also softer: light pink, baby blue, and white. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 2 Aug. 2024

Top colors for girls are expected to be magenta, cherry red, buttercream yellow and baby blue. —Catherine Salfino, Sourcing Journal, 25 July 2024

Choose from more than 10 colors, from baby blue to black. —Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 16 July 2024

Miller says his star also used contact lenses to obscure those dazzling baby blues, and was fine being featured with a long beard and a mane of hair that turns decidedly ratty as the tale progresses. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 23 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1