as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
still looking ashen from his bout with the flu
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 ashen
As the trial got underway, her clients sat ashen at the defense table.
—
J. David Goodman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Patches of skin that appear red, white, blue, gray, yellow, purple, brown or ashen as opposed to their normal color.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 13 Jan. 2025
His skin, particularly his face, had an ashen appearance.
—Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025
Metal railings or a charred brick chimney were all that remained to distinguish the ashen piles.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ashen
J. David Goodman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Patches of skin that appear red, white, blue, gray, yellow, purple, brown or ashen as opposed to their normal color.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 13 Jan. 2025
His skin, particularly his face, had an ashen appearance.
—Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025
Metal railings or a charred brick chimney were all that remained to distinguish the ashen piles.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ashen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ashen
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 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
Cite this Entry
“Ashen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ashen. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share