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There comes a moment in every young crayon user’s life when they graduate from the 8-count (or 16-count, perhaps) box to the treasure trove of 64 glorious sticks of differently colored wax, when they discover that there isn’t just one brown or orange or blue, that when it comes to colors, the sky’s the limit! Such a moment is often the first encounter people have with the word cerulean, a word that slips sibilantly off the tongue like a balmy ocean breeze. Like azure, cerulean describes things whose blue color resembles that of a clear sky; it’s often used in literature (especially travel writing) to paint an enticing image of an even more enticing vista, as in “the cerulean waters of a tropical lagoon.” While azure is thought to hail from the Persian word lāzhuward, with the same meaning, cerulean comes from the Latin adjective caeruleus, meaning “dark blue.” That word most likely comes from caelum, meaning “sky.”
Examples of cerulean in a Sentence
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
The route is stunning, packed with glaciers, cerulean lakes, and towering peaks.
—Jennifer Malloy, Outside, 1 Aug. 2025
Just a few weeks ago, Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte had a subtle matching moment at the Wimbledon Championships, where Charlotte wore a white dress with navy piping and blue hair bow that complemented the cerulean hue of Kate's dress there.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 28 July 2025
Audiences should dust off their knowledge of cerulean: the Devil Wears Prada sequel is officially happening.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cerulean
Cite this Entry
“Cerulean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cerulean. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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cerulean
adjective
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