plural in form but singular or plural in construction
1
: low spirits : melancholy
suffering a case of the blues
2
: a song often of lamentation characterized by usually 12-bar phrases, 3-line stanzas in which the words of the second line usually repeat those of the first, and continual occurrence of blue notes in melody and harmony
3
: jazz or popular music using harmonic and phrase structures of blues
Synonyms
- blue devils
- dejection
- depression
- desolation
- despond
- despondence
- despondency
- disconsolateness
- dispiritedness
- doldrums
- dolefulness
- downheartedness
- dreariness
- dumps
- forlornness
- gloom
- gloominess
- glumness
- heartsickness
- joylessness
- melancholy
- miserableness
- mopes
- mournfulness
- oppression
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- unhappiness
Examples of blues in a Sentence
failing the driving test gave me the blues for the rest of the day
Recent Examples on the Web
In Switzerland, the only winter blues are the hues of the sky and markers for denoting intermediate ski runs.
—
Rachel King, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2023
Color-wise, stripes traditionally track more to neutrals, with a heavy dose of different blues.
—Leah Melby Clinton, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Feb. 2023
Ringed by the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains and bathed in an Impressionist's palette of blues, Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest (1,645 feet) in the U.S.
—Deb Hopewell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2023
Aoife O’Donovan is up for three in the folk and Americana categories, while local blues kingpin Tom Hambridge is up for two (for producing records by Buddy Guy and Keb’ Mo).
—Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for blues 
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Rachel King, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2023
Color-wise, stripes traditionally track more to neutrals, with a heavy dose of different blues.
—Leah Melby Clinton, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Feb. 2023
Ringed by the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains and bathed in an Impressionist's palette of blues, Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest (1,645 feet) in the U.S.
—Deb Hopewell, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2023
Aoife O’Donovan is up for three in the folk and Americana categories, while local blues kingpin Tom Hambridge is up for two (for producing records by Buddy Guy and Keb’ Mo).
—Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for blues
Articles Related to blues
Dictionary Entries Near blues
Cite this Entry
“Blues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blues. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blues
plural noun1
: low spirits : melancholy
2
: a song often expressing sadness and characterized by the continual occurrence of the flatted third, fifth, and seventh tones of a scale in both the melody and harmony
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