1
: marked by a blue cloudless sky : clear
On a blue-sky day, it's easy to look up into the far-reaching atmosphere and marvel at the wonders that it holds …—
Nick Carbone
Nick Carbone2
a
: characterized by unconstrained optimism or imagination : visionary
People need more quiet time to let their creative juices flow, time for blue-sky thinking early in a project, before too many constraints are applied.—Tim Stevens
Tim StevensFor a four-hour block on Saturdays, she might be a CEO in blue-sky mode, thinking exclusively about long-term strategy.—David Zax
David Zax
b
: overly optimistic about the future : unrealistic
A world without potential war between major countries was until two years ago the stuff of utopian novels, blue-sky dreams of minds not grounded in reality.—Tom Clancy
Tom ClancyOne of the issues that raises its head increasingly in crowdfunding is the danger that people may try and launch dubious campaigns to raise finance for blue-sky products that have no chance of success or even working.—John Kennedy
John Kennedy3
a
: having little or no value
blue-sky stock
b
: of or relating to blue-sky laws
blue-sky regulations
blue-skied also blue-skyed; blue-skying; blue-skies
: to offer ideas that are conceived by unrestrained imagination or optimism
When you get the developers in a room blue-skying about the things that they want to do, it's incredible—these are really brilliant people who want to do great things.—Shari Steele
Shari SteeleThose people have blue-skied and pushed the envelope and wandered around aimlessly outside the box as if their lives depended upon it.—Jay Rayner
Jay RaynerBut innovators, when they blue-sky an idea, don't dwell on words like "equity" and "business plan," he [Patrick Dowd] says. Instead it's about "vision and passion" and daring to fail.—Richard Leiby
Richard Leiby
plural blue skies
1
: a time or situation marked by easy progress or success
Growth is back to its old powerhouse levels; there seems to be nothing but blue sky ahead on the inflation front.—Amity Shlaes
Amity ShlaesBefore such blue skies actually arrive, however, several major problems will have to be resolved.—Harry F. Walters et al.
Harry F. Walters et al.2
: overly optimistic and unrealistic thinking about the future
But this is all blue sky because … there is nothing remotely close to a commercial prototype.—Gregg Easterbrook
Gregg EasterbrookExamples of blue-sky in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Buranyi, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2023
Their light, harmony-laden fare evokes blue-sky airiness, front-porch pleasantries and all-ages barn dances.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2024
Natasha Gural, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
The cable channels were NBCUniversal’s equivalent of blue skies, routinely delivering three-quarters of the company’s profit.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blue-sky 
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Adjective
So many of the barriers that face other blue-sky technologies were swept away by the urgency of the pandemic.
—Stephen Buranyi, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2023
Their light, harmony-laden fare evokes blue-sky airiness, front-porch pleasantries and all-ages barn dances.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2024
Noun
The blue-green plant at the bottom left draws our eye back to the bright blue sky, evoking carefree joy and reminding us of the Thomas poem.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
The cable channels were NBCUniversal’s equivalent of blue skies, routinely delivering three-quarters of the company’s profit.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blue-sky
Dictionary Entries Near blue-sky
Cite this Entry
“Blue-sky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue-sky. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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