cadaverous

adjective

ca·​dav·​er·​ous kə-ˈdav-rəs How to pronounce cadaverous (audio)
-ˈda-vər-əs
1
a
: of or relating to a corpse
the cadaverous odors of the battlefield
b
: suggestive of corpses or tombs
2
a
b
: gaunt, emaciated
grossly underweight, he appeared cadaverous, like a living skeleton
cadaverously adverb

Examples of cadaverous in a Sentence

A tall, cadaverous man led us into the library. everyone always looks cadaverous in the winter
Recent Examples on the Web Concluding that the medical students and obstetricians were causing puerperal fever in their pregnant patients by infecting them with cadaverous particles on their hands, Semmelweis instituted some harsh protocols. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Looking at that picture, the back of Biden's neck looks cadaverous. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 30 Oct. 2023 Then those cadaverous mistakes are doing them in and losing games. Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 25 May 2023 Season 2 picks up 10 years after Sam Walker (Sprouse) discovered the unspeakable secrets of Drisking, Mo., when a ghost of the past arrives to drag him back for revenge — and back to the cadaverous forests that color his nightmares… and back to the gates of Borrasca. Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Mar. 2022 An earlier study suggested that the assassin bug’s cadaverous backpack protected it from other predators and now, Jackson and Pollard have tested this theory by pitting the bugs against jumping spiders. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2010 And despite their cadaverous appearances, vultures are actually very hygienic animals. William H. Funk, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2016 Or the way that Morticia, voiced by Charlize Theron in the most musical of aristocratic purrs, doesn’t just walk but glides around in her cadaverous skin-tight dress that drapes over the floor in trails that look like black silk octopus legs. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2021 Slim to the point of cadaverous, intense, hawk-faced, almost totally bald, and sporting a bristling red mustache, Douri's devotion to Saddam was absolute and enforced with the loyalty and rigor of the fanatic. Philip Terzian, Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cadaverous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cadaverous was in 1627

Dictionary Entries Near cadaverous

Cite this Entry

“Cadaverous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cadaverous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cadaverous

adjective
ca·​dav·​er·​ous kə-ˈdav-(ə-)rəs How to pronounce cadaverous (audio)
: resembling a corpse: as

Medical Definition

cadaverous

adjective
ca·​dav·​er·​ous kə-ˈdav-(ə-)rəs How to pronounce cadaverous (audio)
1
: of or relating to a corpse
2
of a complexion : being pallid or livid like a corpse

More from Merriam-Webster on cadaverous

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