sunken

adjective

sunk·​en ˈsəŋ-kən 

1

: submerged

especially : lying at the bottom of a body of water

2

a

: hollow, recessed

sunken cheeks

b

: lying in a depression

a sunken garden

c

: settled below the normal level

d

: constructed below the normal floor level

a sunken living room

Synonyms of sunken

• concave
• hollow
• depressed

Examples of sunken in a Sentence

Her eyes were sunken and lifeless.

our convalescing guest's sunken cheeks soon filled out on a diet of my mother's cooking

Recent Examples on the Web

The study's authors speculate the site may lie at the origin of local Breton legends of sunken cities, according to BBC News. —CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

At one grave site found just a few miles from Damascus, more than 20 indentations of sunken sand mark individual mass graves where Moustafa, the activist, says about 20,000 bodies are believed to be buried. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025

Taller private buildings were restricted, leading urban mansions to expand downward to create sunken floors, Mogetta said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025

The mission will require plumbing the depths for a sunken Russian sub, hanging from the wing of a biplane – and no less than an aircraft carrier. —Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sonkyn, past participle of sinken to sink

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sunken

• drunken
• shrunken

Kids Definition

sunken

adjective

sunk·​en ˈsəŋ-kən 

1

: being submerged

especially : lying at the bottom of a body of water

sunken ships

2

: fallen in : hollow

sunken cheeks

3

a

: lying in a depression

a sunken garden

b

: constructed below the normal floor level

a sunken living room