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Definition of bluebeard

bluebeard

/ˈbluːˌbɪərd/
blue · beard
Plural:bluebeards
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bluebeard Lexical Profile

bluebeard Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A man who marries and murders a series of wives, or a tyrannical, murderous husband.

Example

"The true-crime documentary chronicled the trial of a nineteenth-century bluebeard who poisoned four spouses for their inheritances."

2

Any of several ornamental shrubs of the genus Caryopteris (family Lamiaceae), native to eastern Asia and cultivated for their aromatic foliage and dense clusters of small, fringed blue or violet flowers that bloom in late summer.

Example

"She planted rows of bluebeard along the sunny garden border to attract late-season butterflies and bees."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for bluebeard

• Nearby Words

blue-eyed grass
blue-tongued skink
blueballs
bluebeard
bluebell
blueberry
bluebill

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined as a calque of the French 'Barbe-Bleue', the villainous nobleman in Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale who murdered his successive wives, while the botanical sense refers to the feathery blue stamens of the plant.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Bluebeard. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/bluebeard
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