blues

See also: Blues

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: blo͞oz, IPA^(key): /bluːz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːz

Etymology 1

Noun

blues

1. plural of blue

Etymology 2

Noun

blues (countable and uncountable, plural blues)

1. (usually in the plural, informal) A feeling of sadness or depression.

   Synonyms: blueness; see also Thesaurus:sadness

   I've got the blues today.

   The blues have hit her hard, and she won't get out of bed.

   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     If we had been allowed to sit idle we should all have fallen in the blues […]

   1. (informal, in the singular or in the plural) One's particular life experience, particularly including the hardships one has faced.

      Your blues is just like mine.

      Your blues are just like mine.

   2. (informal, in the singular or in the plural) The negative emotional state produced by a particular action, occupation, experience, or idea.

      I've got the lonely man's blues.

      If you work here long enough, you'll have the butcher's blues just like me.

3. (music) A musical form, of African-American origin, generally featuring an eight-bar or twelve-bar blues structure and using the blues scale.

   Many great blues musicians came from the Mississippi Delta region.

   A large portion of modern popular music is influenced by the blues.

   2. (music, in the singular) A musical composition following blues forms.

      My next number is a blues in G.

5. A uniform made principally of a blue fabric, and especially a full dress uniform thus colored.

   Coordinate terms: camos, fatigues, greens, khakis

   They marched in their dress blues.

   • 2007, Jason Isbell, Dress Blues:

     You never planned on the bombs in the sand
     Or sleeping in your dress blues.

6. (slang, drugs) Any of various blue pills sold on the street, mimicking the appearance of prescription painkiller tablets.

Derived terms

• Arctic blues
• baby blues
• blooze
• blue note
• blues and twos
• blueshead
• bluesify
• bluesish
• blueslike
• bluesman
• blues-rock
• blues scale
• bluester
• blueswoman
• bluesy
• Chicago blues
• classic female blues
• club blues
• corona blues
• country blues
• country-blues
• cry the blues
• delta blues
• Delta blues
• eight-bar blues
• electric blues
• folk blues
• folk-blues
• gospel blues
• gospel-blues
• have the blues
• hill country blues
• jump blues
• Piedmont blues
• preblues
• punk-blues
• rhythm and blues
• soul-blues
• soul blues
• summer blues
• swamp blues
• talking blues
• tease and blues
• tees and blues
• Texas blues
• theatre blues
• Ts and blues
• twelve-bar blues
• twelve bar blues
• vaudeville blues
• winter blues

Descendants

• → Catalan: blues
• → Danish: blues
• → Finnish: blues
• → French: blues
• → Hungarian: blues
• → Icelandic: blús
• → Italian: blues
• → Portuguese: blues
• → Spanish: blues
• → Swedish: blues

Translations

feeling of sadness

• German: Trübsal (de) f (formal)
• Irish: gruaim f
• Italian: malinconia (it) f, paturnie (it) f pl
• Polish: chandra (pl) f
• Portuguese: tristeza (pt) f
• Spanish: murria (es) f (colloquial)

musical form

• Arabic: بْلُوز m (blūz), بَلُوز m (balūz)
• Armenian: բլյուզ (hy) (blyuz)
• Belarusian: блюз m (bljuz)
• Bulgarian: блус m (blus)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藍調 / 蓝调 (zh) (lándiào), 布魯斯 / 布鲁斯 (zh) (bùlǔsī)

• Danish: blues c
• Esperanto: bluso
• Finnish: blues (fi)
• French: blues (fr) m
• Galician: blues (gl)
• Georgian: ბლუზი (bluzi)
• German: Blues (de) m
• Greek: μπλουζ (el) n (blouz)
• Hebrew: בלוז m (bluz)
• Hindi: ब्लूज़ (blūz)
• Japanese: ブルース (ja) (burūsu)
• Korean: 블루스 (beulluseu)
• Kyrgyz: блюз (ky) m (blyuz)
• Māori: puoro kōrangaranga
• Persian: بلوز (fa) (bluz)
• Polish: blues (pl) m
• Portuguese: blues (pt) m
• Russian: блюз (ru) m (bljuz)
• Serbo-Croatian: bluz (sh) m
• Swedish: blues (sv) c
• Thai: บลูส์ (bloo)
• Turkish: blues
• Ukrainian: блюз m (bljuz)

musical composition

• Finnish: blues (fi)
• German: Blues (de) m
• Māori: puoro kōrangaranga
• Polish: blues (pl) m
• Portuguese: blues (pt) m
• Russian: блюз (ru) m (bljuz)
• Swedish: blues (sv) c

Etymology 3

Verb

blues

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of blue

Further reading

• blues on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Buels, bulse, lubes

Catalan

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈblus]

Noun

blues m (uncountable)

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)

Further reading

• “blues”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bluːs/, [b̥lʊəs]
• Rhymes: -ʊəs

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Noun

blues c (singular definite bluesen, plural indefinite blues)

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

Declension of blues

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	blues	bluesen	blues	bluesene
genitive	blues'	bluesens	blues'	bluesenes

Etymology 2

From Old Danish blyghæs, from Old Norse blýgjask.

Verb

blues (past tense bluedes, past participle bluedes)

1. (deponent, archaic) to be or feel ashamed or embarrassed or shy

Conjugation

Conjugation of blues

active passive present blues — past bluedes — infinitive blues — imperative - — participle present - past bluedes (auxiliary verb have) gerund —

Related terms

• blu
• blusel

Further reading

• “blues” in Den Danske Ordbog

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbluːs/, [ˈbluːs̠]
• IPA^(key): /ˈblyːs/, [ˈblyːs̠]
• Rhymes: -uːs
• Syllabification^(key): blues
• Hyphenation^(key): blues

Noun

blues

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

Inflection of blues (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		blues	bluesit
genitive		bluesin	bluesien
partitive		bluesia	blueseja
illative		bluesiin	blueseihin
		singular	plural
nominative		blues	bluesit
accusative	nom.	blues	bluesit
	gen.	bluesin
genitive		bluesin	bluesien
partitive		bluesia	blueseja
inessive		bluesissa	blueseissa
elative		bluesista	blueseista
illative		bluesiin	blueseihin
adessive		bluesilla	blueseilla
ablative		bluesilta	blueseilta
allative		bluesille	blueseille
essive		bluesina	blueseina
translative		bluesiksi	blueseiksi
abessive		bluesitta	blueseitta
instructive		—	bluesein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of blues (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bluesini bluesini accusative nom. bluesini bluesini gen. bluesini genitive bluesini bluesieni partitive bluesiani bluesejani inessive bluesissani blueseissani elative bluesistani blueseistani illative bluesiini blueseihini adessive bluesillani blueseillani ablative bluesiltani blueseiltani allative bluesilleni blueseilleni essive bluesinani blueseinani translative bluesikseni blueseikseni abessive bluesittani blueseittani instructive — — comitative — blueseineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative bluesisi bluesisi accusative nom. bluesisi bluesisi gen. bluesisi genitive bluesisi bluesiesi partitive bluesiasi bluesejasi inessive bluesissasi blueseissasi elative bluesistasi blueseistasi illative bluesiisi blueseihisi adessive bluesillasi blueseillasi ablative bluesiltasi blueseiltasi allative bluesillesi blueseillesi essive bluesinasi blueseinasi translative bluesiksesi blueseiksesi abessive bluesittasi blueseittasi instructive — — comitative — blueseinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bluesimme bluesimme accusative nom. bluesimme bluesimme gen. bluesimme genitive bluesimme bluesiemme partitive bluesiamme bluesejamme inessive bluesissamme blueseissamme elative bluesistamme blueseistamme illative bluesiimme blueseihimme adessive bluesillamme blueseillamme ablative bluesiltamme blueseiltamme allative bluesillemme blueseillemme essive bluesinamme blueseinamme translative bluesiksemme blueseiksemme abessive bluesittamme blueseittamme instructive — — comitative — blueseinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative bluesinne bluesinne accusative nom. bluesinne bluesinne gen. bluesinne genitive bluesinne bluesienne partitive bluesianne bluesejanne inessive bluesissanne blueseissanne elative bluesistanne blueseistanne illative bluesiinne blueseihinne adessive bluesillanne blueseillanne ablative bluesiltanne blueseiltanne allative bluesillenne blueseillenne essive bluesinanne blueseinanne translative bluesiksenne blueseiksenne abessive bluesittanne blueseittanne instructive — — comitative — blueseinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative bluesinsa bluesinsa accusative nom. bluesinsa bluesinsa gen. bluesinsa genitive bluesinsa bluesiensa partitive bluesiaan bluesiansa bluesejaan bluesejansa inessive bluesissaan bluesissansa blueseissaan blueseissansa elative bluesistaan bluesistansa blueseistaan blueseistansa illative bluesiinsa blueseihinsa adessive bluesillaan bluesillansa blueseillaan blueseillansa ablative bluesiltaan bluesiltansa blueseiltaan blueseiltansa allative bluesilleen bluesillensa blueseilleen blueseillensa essive bluesinaan bluesinansa blueseinaan blueseinansa translative bluesikseen bluesiksensa blueseikseen blueseiksensa abessive bluesittaan bluesittansa blueseittaan blueseittansa instructive — — comitative — blueseineen blueseinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• blueskappale
• blueslaulaja
• bluesmusiikki

Further reading

• “blues”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bluz/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uz
• Homophones: blouse, blousent, blouses

Noun

blues m (invariable)

1. blues (depression)
2. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
3. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Derived terms

• coup de blues

Further reading

• “blues”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• bleus

Hungarian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbluːz]
• Hyphenation: blues

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: blúz
• Rhymes: -uːz

Noun

blues (plural bluesok)

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	blues	bluesok
accusative	bluest	bluesokat
dative	bluesnak	bluesoknak
instrumental	blueszal	bluesokkal
causal-final	bluesért	bluesokért
translative	blueszá	bluesokká
terminative	bluesig	bluesokig
essive-formal	bluesként	bluesokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bluesban	bluesokban
superessive	blueson	bluesokon
adessive	bluesnál	bluesoknál
illative	bluesba	bluesokba
sublative	bluesra	bluesokra
allative	blueshoz	bluesokhoz
elative	bluesból	bluesokból
delative	bluesról	bluesokról
ablative	bluestól	bluesoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	bluesé	bluesoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	blueséi	bluesokéi

Possessive forms of blues

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bluesom	bluesaim
2nd person sing.	bluesod	bluesaid
3rd person sing.	bluesa	bluesai
1st person plural	bluesunk	bluesaink
2nd person plural	bluesotok	bluesaitok
3rd person plural	bluesuk	bluesaik

Derived terms

• blueszene
• blueszenekar

Further reading

• blues in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbluz/
• Rhymes: -uz
• Hyphenation: blùes

Noun

blues m (invariable)

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Further reading

• “blues”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• bluse

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁wos

Proto-Germanic *blēwaz

Proto-West Germanic *blāubor.

Late Latin blāvus

Anglo-Norman bleubor.

Middle English blew

English blue

Old English -as

Middle English -es

English -s

English bluesubor.

Polish blues

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblus/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -us
• Syllabification: blues
• Homophone: bluz

Noun

blues m inan

1. (music) blues (musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

Declension of blues

	singular	plural
nominative	blues	bluesy
genitive	bluesa	bluesów
dative	bluesowi	bluesom
accusative	bluesa	bluesy
instrumental	bluesem	bluesami
locative	bluesie	bluesach
vocative	bluesie	bluesy

Derived terms

adjective

• bluesowy

Related terms

nouns

• bluesman
• bluesmanka

verbs

• czuć bluesa impf
• poczuć bluesa pf

Further reading

• “blues”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “blues”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁wos

Proto-Germanic *blēwaz

Proto-West Germanic *blāubor.

Late Latin blāvus

Anglo-Norman bleubor.

Middle English blew

English blue

Old English -as

Middle English -es

English -s

English bluesubor.

Portuguese blues

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈblus/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈblus/

Noun

blues m pl (plural only)

1. (music) blues (a musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Derived terms

• blueseiro, bluseiro

Related terms

• bluesman

Further reading

• “blues”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “blues”, in Dicio – Dicionário Online de Português (in Portuguese), São Paulo: 7Graus, 2009–2026
• “blues”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “blues”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “blues”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Noun

blues n (plural bluesuri)

1. (music) blues (a musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	blues	bluesul	bluesuri	bluesurile
genitive-dative	blues	bluesului	bluesuri	bluesurilor
vocative	bluesule		bluesurilor

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.

Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁wos

Proto-Germanic *blēwaz

Proto-West Germanic *blāubor.

Late Latin blāvus

Anglo-Norman bleubor.

Middle English blew

English blue

Old English -as

Middle English -es

English -s

English bluesubor.

Spanish blues

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈblus/ [ˈblus]
• Rhymes: -us

Noun

blues m pl (plural only) or blues m (uncountable)

1. (music) blues (a musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Further reading

• “blues”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English blues.

Noun

blues c

1. (music) blues (a musical genre of African American origin)
2. (music) blues (a blues composition)

Declension

Declension of blues

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	blues	blues
	definite	bluesen	bluesens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Further reading

• “blues”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)