Jump To:

• true blue
  true blue

  noun

  a nonfading blue dye or pigment.
• true-blue
  true-blue

  adjective

  unwaveringly loyal or faithful; staunch; unchangingly true.

true blue

¹ American  

noun

1. a nonfading blue dye or pigment.

2. a person who is true-blue.

3. (in the 17th century) the color adopted by the Covenanters in contradistinction to the royal red.

---

true-blue ² American  

[troo-bloo] / ˈtruˈblu /

adjective

1. unwaveringly loyal or faithful; staunch; unchangingly true.

---

true-blue British  

adjective

1. unwaveringly or staunchly loyal, esp to a person, a cause, etc

---

noun

1. a staunch royalist or Conservative

true blue Idioms  

1. Loyal, faithful, as in You can count on her support; she's true blue. This expression alludes to the idea of blue being the color of constancy, but the exact allusion is disputed. One theory holds it alludes to the unchanging blue sky, another to the fastness of a blue dye that will not run. Blue has been the identifying color of various factions in history. In the mid-1600s the Scottish Covenanters, who pledged to uphold Presbyterianism, were called true blue (as opposed to red, the color of the royalists). In the 1800s the same term came to mean “staunchly Tory,” and in America, “politically sound.”

---

Etymology

Origin of true blue¹

First recorded in 1665–75

Origin of true-blue²

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain; perhaps associated with the Covenanters (Scottish Presbyterians) of the 17th century, whose flag, a white St. Andrew’s Cross on a blue field (still the national flag of Scotland), was in opposition to the red scarves of the Royalist cavalry

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

true blue true-blue

Only one class of plant pigments has achieved a true blue: anthocyanins.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 14, 2023

What if we baked a true blue loaf of crusty bread in about the time it takes to make the rest of dinner?

From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2023

You are my real deal, my true blue, authentic, unshakable friend, and I cannot tell you what that means to me.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2023

Knowing what its true blue carbon stocks are, Seychelles will be able to trade it with other countries wanting to offset their emissions.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2022

Which made any upright, true blue Milagro citizen, knowing the odds in favor of the early Death of the Fruit Tree Blossoms, just about vomit.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

His presence campaigning can enthuse his true-blue supporters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

And it wasn’t just relief from true-blue Dodger fans who are looking to Ohtani to bring World Series glory to the team they love.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024

Harrison was a true-blue jazz musician, and Adjuah — who was born, and first introduced to the listening public as, Christian Scott — seemed destined to become one, too.

From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

Remember the true-blue flowering bandwagon we gardeners found ourselves on in the late ’90s?

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2023

She once called Lucy my “some-timey friend,” meaning Lucy wasn’t true-blue.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia