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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
The rooms Classic, with antique furniture set against a Sorrentine paint palette of blues and whites. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026 The color palette is said to have been inspired by the lagoon and mixed with inspiration from Venice’s marble facades, plasterwork and architecture through the use of celadon greens, soft blues, terracotta, ochre and powder pink. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 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
  • For all of the franchise’s misadventures, the Mets — led by ones who were there for that sad September in 2001 — get this right.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Let’s return, then, to La Quinta, and the saddest pizza party imaginable.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 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
  • There was something carnivalesque about Marcia’s intellectual riffs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In a culture of aggregation and AI summary, the stiffest original thinking still feels as supple as a tone poem, and genuine intellectual ambition akin to a secular miracle.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 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
  • Within an hour, the somber commemoration by the sea turned into a vibrant two-day intertribal powwow.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Global sea surface temperatures tied the record for warmest monthly average logged in any month.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 10 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
  • 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
  • However, recent scholarship posits that the structure was used as ordinary (rather than punitive) housing, and that the vulgar decor was in fact a distinguishing characteristic of the epoch.
    — Jim Greer, SPIN, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of vulgar

Phrases Containing blue

Browse Nearby Words

bludging
blue
blue blood
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Cite this Entry

“Blue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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