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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
Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 11 May 2025
Not surprisingly, people love cerulean skies and aquamarine seas, moody gemstones — sapphires, lapis lazuli, the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond — and blue inventions, like denim jeans and ballpoint pens.
—Amanda Fortini, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
With over 70 beaches—the most of any Greek island—Milos is a destination for those seeking lackadaisical days spent lounging in and out of cerulean waters.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2025
Inside and out, Sayed’s house is painted in the most cheerful colors – cerulean blue and mint green, with a mural of white swans floating along a grassy riverscape on the front exterior wall.
—Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 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 20 May. 2025.
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cerulean
adjective
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