as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
she looks a little wan after all that tiring work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wan
Evans managed both to placate the money men at Gulf & Western, who wanted to sell Paramount because of its wan revenue, and become a peer of Hollywood's rambunctious talent.
—
cleveland, 28 Oct. 2019
What seemed inventive and clever in the confines of a small off-Broadway theater feels utterly wan in its current incarnation.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2019
Our family just discovered Gobi Manchurian, and for anyone who considers cauliflower a wan version of broccoli, try this and banish thoughts of soggy vegetables from your mind.
—BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
In spite of the lovingly detailed suburban ambience, interiors, gardens and clothes, the atmosphere feels torqued beyond time and history into a fairy tale theater of desire and wan hope.
—Marina Warner, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for wan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wan
Adjective
-
In other words, our complexion is looking pallid, our skin is dry, and our overall appearance is just a little blah at the moment.—
-
And try to summon, from our pallid, hazy situation, vistas of the sort that draw so sweet and pure a gaze.—
Adjective
-
Egg yolks can range in color from pale yellow to deep orange.—
-
Think pale hues with a sober gray tint or tranquil neutrals.—
Cite this Entry
“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wan. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share