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

She suffered a case of the baby blues for a few days after having the baby.

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 change will replace the baby blue and white livery that has defined the presidential aircraft for more than 60 years. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026

Barkley, donning the Cubs’ baby blue spring training hat, is a friend of franchise legend Rick Sutcliffe, who invited him for a behind-the-scenes look at camp. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026

Her hairband and her eyeshadow are of baby blue. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026

Williams wore a custom baby blue wool crepe suit with a silk back satin tank top and matching tie by Prabal Gurung. —Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for baby blue

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou