1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

blue 1 of 2

adjective

ˈblü How to pronounce blue (audio)
Definition of bluenext
1
as in sad
feeling unhappiness a cold, dreary day always leaves me blue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society was shocked at the blue banter on that satellite-radio talk show

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in suggestive
hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent a lighthearted comedy with a few moments of blue humor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in intellectual
much given to learning and thinking a book club that had been founded many years earlier by the blue, progressive women of the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

blue

2 of 2

noun

1
as in sky
the expanse of air surrounding the earth the plane flew off into the blue and was never seen again

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in sea
the whole body of salt water that covers nearly three-fourths of the earth pirate ships that sailed the vasty blue in search of treasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blue
Adjective
My favorite picture in the book finds a sensibly blue Subaru station wagon that has somehow turned on its side in the middle of the night. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 Just across the river from Portrait Firenze, Hotel Lungarno—also owned by the Ferragamo family—exudes retro style, with nautical blue and white interiors and a blue-chip art collection that includes sketches by Picasso and Miro. — Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
Her sculpture, cast in bronze and patinated with lapis lazuli blue—a pigment used in in north Africa, the Middle East, and Europe since antiquity—will remain in place for two years. — News Desk, Artforum, 10 Sep. 2026 Apple has reintroduced full ceramic cases in two sleek colorways—pearl white and night blue. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blue
  1. sad
  2. obscene
  3. suggestive
  4. intellectual
  5. sky
  6. sea
  7. depressed
  8. vulgar
Adjective
  • However — here is the gold dust — the perfect blend is gay AND sad.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Top Plays from Broncos @ Chiefs Perhaps the only solace for the Broncos after a season of sky-high expectations opened with a flop is those sorts of sad adjectives belonged to everyone.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Last year, after signing a $132 million contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers following a trade, he was docked another $26,000 for fighting and making an obscene gesture.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • There was a dog’s leg that had been sewn on near a man’s crotch in a way that seemed like an obscene visual pun.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • At the time, fans were quick to point out that the majority of the crew members seen in the clip were men, while Sweeney was sitting in a suggestive pose.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Messages in 2024 between Johnson and Duffey revealed the two men used suggestive language.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of suggestive
Adjective
  • The play becomes an intellectual exercise — often a technically compelling one, and one that thankfully observes the comedy of Chekhov’s struggling souls as much as their tragedy.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The political climate that culminated in the 1940 Constitution was embraced by much of Cuba’s artistic and intellectual community as part of a broader quest for democracy and modernization.
    — Dennys Matos, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of intellectual
Noun
  • And that, Casey said, is what separates Judge, a man obsessed with being great, a star who is always looking for an edge, a metric, a way to use every minute of every day to reach for the most distant constellation in the baseball sky.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The dodecahedron, on the other hand, was associated with the aether and the starry sky.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of sky
Noun
  • At least 211 people were rescued from an Indonesian ferry that caught fire last month in rough seas near the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, while one person was found dead and four others remained missing.
    — IMAN SATRIA, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The boats can collect measurements including sea-surface temperature, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, salinity and water density.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of sea
Adjective
  • Quietly depressed, a wife to Reuben (Tracy Letts, Coon’s real-life partner) and mother to Ella (Bella Ramsey) and Jo (Odessa Young), Rita holds a monotonous desk job at a bank by day, and tends to her family by night as part of her humdrum routine.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Sprague conceded Clancy had mental health issues and was depressed.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • Perhaps her daughter-in-law is not vulgar but, rather, simple and spontaneous?
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Decide for yourself whether that’s a bold indicator of English football’s superiority over the rest of the world, or a revolting symbol of the bloated and vulgar behemoth that the game has become.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of vulgar

Phrases Containing blue

Browse Nearby Words

bludging
blue
blue blood
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All