1
as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
everyone always looks cadaverous in the winter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gaunt
suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease
a cadaverous cancer patient living out his final days with dignity and courage
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Recent Examples of cadaverous
As the hulking creature, the Australian star appears to have pale, cadaverous skin with lacerations across it and long, stringy hair.
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Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Plus, the kid isn’t dead either, as his flailing pale self that looks on the verge of the cadaverous pops out of the trunk Jack shoves him in.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Moreover, keeping the cadaverous Biden in the White House is a daily reminder to the American people of the feebleness and anemia of the Democratic Party, which taints Harris by association.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
Concluding that the medical students and obstetricians were causing puerperal fever in their pregnant patients by infecting them with cadaverous particles on their hands, Semmelweis instituted some harsh protocols.
—Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024
Looking at that picture, the back of Biden's neck looks cadaverous.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 30 Oct. 2023
Then those cadaverous mistakes are doing them in and losing games.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 25 May 2023
Season 2 picks up 10 years after Sam Walker (Sprouse) discovered the unspeakable secrets of Drisking, Mo., when a ghost of the past arrives to drag him back for revenge — and back to the cadaverous forests that color his nightmares… and back to the gates of Borrasca.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cadaverous
Adjective
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In other words, our complexion is looking pallid, our skin is dry, and our overall appearance is just a little blah at the moment.—
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And try to summon, from our pallid, hazy situation, vistas of the sort that draw so sweet and pure a gaze.—
Adjective
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During the conversation, Van Der Beek opened up about the overwhelming response to his gaunt appearance during September's Dawson's Creek reunion.—
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Van Der Beek's notably gaunt face sparked speculation about his condition amid his cancer battle.—
Adjective
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Egg yolks can range in color from pale yellow to deep orange.—
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Think pale hues with a sober gray tint or tranquil neutrals.—
Adjective
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Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.—
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Turtles, like all reptiles, require these rays to produce vitamin D and promote skeletal health.—
Adjective
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Now, the film is a downright classic, centering on three haggard witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) who go on a hilarious misadventure while trying to remain young forever.—
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In addition to skiing excursions, the winter sports menu includes such trying activities as snow shoe walking, ice diving, and dog sledding—great backdrops in front of which drunken or haggard travelers can snip at each other.—
Cite this Entry
“Cadaverous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cadaverous. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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