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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
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 10 June 2025
Just a few hours south of Rome, Italy’s Amalfi Coast unfolds into a breathtaking landscape of rugged cliffs overlooking cerulean waters.
—Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
For instance, why not try cerulean tights with an otherwise conservative academic look?
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 May 2025
Mexico’s Pacific Coast Courtesy of Four Seasons Tamarindo Some of the world’s most family-friendly destinations are on Mexico’s gorgeous Pacific Coast, where soft, sandy beaches and cerulean waters perfect for snorkeling and surfing are the definition of paradise.
—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 16 May 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 30 Jun. 2025.
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cerulean
adjective
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