wan

¹wan

adj \ˈwän\

wan·nerwan·nest

Definition of WAN

1

a : suggestive of poor health : sickly, pallid b : lacking vitality : feeble

2

: dim, faint

3

: languid <a wan smile>

— wan·ly adverb

— wan·ness \ˈwän-nəs\ noun

Examples of WAN

1. She gave a wan laugh.
2. <she looks a little wan after all that tiring work>

Origin of WAN

Middle English, from Old English wann dark, livid

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to WAN

Synonyms: ashen, ashy, blanched, cadaverous, doughy, livid, lurid, mealy, paled, pallid, pasty, peaked, pale

Antonyms: blooming, florid, flush, full-blooded, glowing, red, rosy, rubicund, ruddy, sanguine

Related Words: sallow, sallowish, sick, sickly, waxen, waxy; white, whitened; anemic, bloodless; untanned; whey-faced, white-faced

Near Antonyms: blushing, flushed, pink

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