powder blue
2
3.7
- noun
- /ˈpaʊdər blu/
:
azul polvo
- The snowsuit was powder blue and came in a silver box from Sweden, she said.
- powder blue suit
- powder blue shirt
- powder blue rug
Examples
-
The twenty-four-year-old woman wore khakis, a powder blue University of Maryland windbreaker, and scuffed white Nike sneakers.
Fiction book (2002) -
Her powder blue cotton skirt and matching top hung loosely on her small frame.
Fiction book (1998) -
A nice leisure suit, powder blue.
-
I think we should go with the off-white or powder blue.
-
A fine-looking old man in a powder blue suit.
Academic text (1996) -
Three deacons in powder blue!
Academic text (1996) -
Jumpsuits, tiny hats, and the like, and all of it powder blue.
Fiction book (1995) -
On his head sat a powder-blue beret.
Fiction book (1997) -
The choir would sit back, eyes shrouded, a jury in their magnificent powder-blue satin robes.
Fiction book (1997) -
The choir would sit back, eyes shrouded, a jury in their magnificent powder blue satin robes.
Synonyms
16
1.0
A pale shade of blue like the sky on a clear day
14
1.0
A light, soft shade of blue like the sky
2
2.7
A color that is mainly blue with some gray
1
3.5
A blue color with a grey tone like a metal plate
1
3.4
A blue color like the sky when clouds make it less bright
A light soft blue color like pale flowers or a clear sky
Antonyms
How Pale
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a pale or muted blue' is directly signalled by combining 'powder' (suggesting something fine, light, or powdered) with 'blue', so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a delicate/light shade of blue. This is a regular adjectival compound describing a color and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, making it readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Powder blue may come from a pale powder that workers used to add a faint blue tint to cloth and paper, a small dusty product that looked soft and light. That's why the name now means 'a pale blue color'.