What does blazer mean?
A blazer is a lightweight, tailored jacket that occupies the middle ground between formal and informal dress. Unlike a suit jacket, it is not cut from the same cloth as matching trousers; instead, it is usually a solid color — most classically navy blue — often finished with metal buttons, and it can be paired with trousers of a different fabric or shade. The name derives from the vividly colored jackets worn by members of Cambridge University's Lady Margaret Boat Club in the nineteenth century: their bright scarlet hue led to them being called 'blazers,' as if they were ablaze. Today the term covers both this classic garment and, historically, the boldly striped jackets associated with rowing clubs and school uniforms, particularly in Britain. Versatile and widely worn by all genders, the blazer signals smart-casual polish and remains a cornerstone of wardrobes from classrooms to boardrooms.
A lightweight jacket of solid color, often navy with metal buttons, worn as part of smart-casual or club attire.
"For the awards dinner, he chose a classic navy blazer over an open-collared shirt."
In American usage this is the dominant sense. Traditionally single-breasted, though double-breasted styles exist.
A brightly coloured or striped jacket worn by members of a sports team or school, especially in Britain.
"The old photograph shows the crew in their crimson-and-white striped blazers."
This historical sense survives chiefly in British English, in contexts of rowing clubs and school uniform.
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple garments or to a group wearing them collectively.
"All the new students were issued identical dark green blazers."
The blazer gets its name from the blazing scarlet jackets of the Lady Margaret Boat Club at Cambridge — 'blazers' because they seemed to blaze.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blazer
The word 'blazer' originated in England in the nineteenth century among university rowing circles. The members of Lady Margaret Boat Club, St John's College, Cambridge, wore bright scarlet jackets whose fiery colour prompted the nickname 'blazers.' The term was then generalized to any such brightly coloured club or team jacket, especially those with stripes worn by rowers and schoolboys in Britain. It is unrelated to the verb 'blaze' as a fire metaphor beyond that visual pun; the noun simply borrows the image of a garment that seems to blaze with colour.
How blazer is actually used
A blazer sits between formal and casual: smarter than a sweater or sports coat, but not part of a suit. In British English, 'blazer' strongly connotes school uniforms and club wear; in American English it is primarily a menswear/smart-casual staple, usually navy. The word is always singular-countable and refers to one garment per person.
Easily confused with blazer
A sports coat is a patterned, more casual jacket, while a blazer is typically a solid-colored jacket, often navy, traditionally associated with clubs, schools, and rowing teams.
A suit jacket comes as part of a matching suit made from the same cloth as the trousers, whereas a blazer is designed to be worn with trousers of a different fabric or color.