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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
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
This clock comes in a deep green and cerulean colorways that will add a welcome dose of personality to your bedside table.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 5 Mar. 2025
Beyond paint, blue furniture, blue bedroom rugs, blue wallpaper, and more can infuse the space with a pop of cerulean, navy, or turquoise beauty.
—Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 28 Mar. 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 25 Apr. 2025.
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cerulean
adjective
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