as in pallid
having an unhealthy yellowish skin color
He looked tired and sallow. She has a sallow complexion.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 sallow
The eyes are sallow, the shoulders slumped, and the proud corona of hair is gone, instead a thin outline of flat, dark hair covers his head.
—
Bob Guccione Jr, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2023
According to Wednesday's world, a sallow complexion with carved cheekbones is definitely in.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 30 Nov. 2022
His sallow legs are stippled with acid pock marks.
—Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022
In recent years, conservation scientists have taken advantage of non-invasive imaging and high-energy X-rays produced by particle accelerators to understand just why these beautiful yellows have morphed into dark browns and sallow whites.
—Stephanie Demarco, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2021
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Bob Guccione Jr, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2023
According to Wednesday's world, a sallow complexion with carved cheekbones is definitely in.
—Abby Dupes, Seventeen, 30 Nov. 2022
His sallow legs are stippled with acid pock marks.
—Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022
In recent years, conservation scientists have taken advantage of non-invasive imaging and high-energy X-rays produced by particle accelerators to understand just why these beautiful yellows have morphed into dark browns and sallow whites.
—Stephanie Demarco, Discover Magazine, 18 May 2021
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sallow
Adjective
-
Morfydd Clark, pallid at first, has some emotive scenes at the wedding when Ophelia rails at Hamlet for turning away from her.—
Caryn James,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Yet senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk recently took one of those pallid lumps and coaxed utter brilliance from it.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Star began writing about the concerns at Warren Hills in March, detailing how for years that teachers, staff and parents have been worried that something at the school may be making teachers and staff sick.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Although Hahne's daughter lived close enough to remain at home, Hahne made connections with families staying in the Ronald McDonald House while their sick children received care from Children's Hospital.—
Angelika Ytuarte,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The fruit’s pale, glossy surface already gives it that eerie eyeball effect.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The floors were made of pale gray wood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, the moss’s telltale sign of woe is its glum, grayish hue, a waxen appearance that comes from ferns and algae that have crept over it.—
Sabrina Imbler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Dec. 2020
Adjective
-
Taken on its own, however, Boyle and Garland’s trip back to this hellscape makes the most of casting a jaundiced, bloodshot eye at our current moment.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
-
But a more jaundiced government, like the one currently led by Trump, might be tempted to penalize India for this behavior.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
Her parents could have believed their sickly child had died and buried her according to local customs.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Only Abi, the young nanny, can make the sickly girl smile.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Alijah Martin, the Raptors rookie on a two-way contract who was not active for the game, wore a white Blue Jays jersey underneath his zip-up with a new Jays cap.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
All colors—black, green, pink, pistachio, red, blue, and white—have the wide lines running down the sides in contrasting colors.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Amara says that buildup can often appear as a waxy film or cause white residue at the roots.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The colors would wash across the Los Angeles basin and light the tree from underneath, making its orange-red bark glow and waxy green needles sparkle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share