as in pallid
having an unhealthy yellowish skin color
He looked tired and sallow. She has a sallow complexion.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sallow
The film is aggressively teal with a sallow greige (gray-beige) overcast.
—
Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
If the entire plant looks sallow and yellow, give it better nutrition.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
During a visit in August with two Times reporters, Mr. Perez’s skin was sallow.
—Aimee Ortiz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023
An awkward, sallow, provincial, minor army officer, Napoleon, was irresistibly drawn to Joséphine, attracted by her proximity to the most powerful men in France.
—Anne Higonnet, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
If the entire plant looks sallow and yellow, give it better nutrition.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
During a visit in August with two Times reporters, Mr. Perez’s skin was sallow.
—Aimee Ortiz, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023
An awkward, sallow, provincial, minor army officer, Napoleon, was irresistibly drawn to Joséphine, attracted by her proximity to the most powerful men in France.
—Anne Higonnet, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sallow
Adjective
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Opponents of the proposal want the county to consider different locations for the park site, arguing the project may harm a variety of native species to the area, including the western spadefoot toad and pallid bats.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
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While disrupting the business of an American multinational company may seem a pallid response to the destruction of an Iranian primary school where more than a hundred children were killed, such asymmetric attacks in the physical and digital realms have been a feature of this conflict.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That night, both the President and his wife periodically fled upstairs to check on their most beloved son, the eleven-year-old Willie, sick with a fever that would kill him two weeks later.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The style is also available in a vibrant red, classic black, subtle ivory, and playful pale blue.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
The pistachio pudding gives both the cake and frosting a natural pale green hue.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Jaxon’s mother was in and out of the hospital with liver and kidney problems that were so dire, her jaundiced eyes turned as yellow as a highlighter pen.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
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But in Trump’s second term, federal officials took a more jaundiced view of the group.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The sickly childhoods of children’s literature likely reflect a number of factors.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
11 May 2026
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Soon Collie is ensnared in a plot to kidnap a sickly rich boy that immediately goes off the rails.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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The eye-catching color gives off instant vacation vibes, and looks great under a breezy white button-down or simply worn with the matching high-rise bottoms.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
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Fresh lemonade and iced tea ladled into mason jars served with red-and-white-striped straws.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Westman Atelier’s Lip Liner glides on the lips in a creamy wax blend that’s more high-performance conditioner with color payoff than a traditional waxy pencil.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance your body needs to build cells, produce hormones and help with digestion.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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