In literature, "blue" is employed to evoke a spectrum of meanings, ranging from mysticism and melancholy to nobility and beauty. It can imbue a narrative with an air of mystery, as when a "blue phial" becomes a symbolic object imbued with hidden powers [1]. At the same time, the hue serves as a marker of prestige and character, whether in describing the glamour of attire that exalts the wearer [2], the deep emotional resonance found in a character's blue eyes [3], or even the serene, expansive quality of the blue heavens and seas that set the scene [4][5]. Additionally, blue extends into the pragmatic realm—denoting identification through objects like blue ribbons or the uniforms of servants [6]—thereby enriching characterizations and settings alike.
This tab, the new OneLook "color thesaurus", is a work in progress.
It draws from a data set of more than 2000 color names gathered from sources around the Web,
and an analysis of how they are referenced in English texts.
- Enter any color to explore similar colors, as well as objects and concepts associated with the color
in English texts.
Examples: lime green,
lavender.
- Enter any object or concept to see the colors associated with the object or concept in English texts,
as well as words that have a similar color profile. Examples: rage,
sun,
jeans,
royalty.
Some words, like "
peach", function as both a color name and an object; when you do a search for words like these, you will see both of the above sections.