jaundiced

adjective

jaun·​diced ˈjȯn-dəst How to pronounce jaundiced (audio)
ˈjän-
1
: affected with or as if with jaundice
2
: exhibiting or influenced by envy, distaste, or hostility
a jaundiced eye

Did you know?

Cast not a jaundiced eye on the word jaundiced—and by that we mean this: don’t dislike or distrust jaundiced because of past experiences with the word or with others like it. Jaundiced is handy for describing the grumps among us who tend toward envy, aversion, or hostility, and who doesn’t know a few of those? This useful 17th century adjective comes from an also-useful 14th century noun jaundice that still refers to a medical condition in which excess bile pigments in the bloodstream and body tissues cause a person’s skin to turn yellow. The connection between the physical condition and the bad attitude lies in the physiological theory of the bodily humors, which holds that a hostile, irritable temperament is caused by excess yellow bile in one’s body.

Examples of jaundiced in a Sentence

She has a very jaundiced view of politics and politicians. took a jaundiced view of his opponent's triumphs on the tennis court
Recent Examples on the Web With Harry as a civilian, with Maddie as a rookie just learning how the LAPD functions, and with a defense attorney as one of the three leads, Legacy is able to take a more jaundiced view of policework than Classic Bosch tended to. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2023 Indeed, jaundiced observers say the NHS is perpetually in crisis. Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2023 But the film suffers from its commitment to serve two masters, trying to get at the elusive truth of what transpired between this famous couple while providing a jaundiced view of the way social media has poisoned a collective grasp of truth. Brian Lowry, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023 Indeed, jaundiced observers say the N.H.S. is perpetually in crisis. Mark Landler, New York Times, 16 July 2023 In this jaundiced view, the goal of architecture is to disguise, not reveal, the structure of our days. Curbed, 4 Jan. 2023 Nichols argues that in an era of jaundiced self-absorption, citizens in Western societies have lost their appreciation of democratic values and the virtues of civic engagement. Tom Nichols, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2021 Even for music industry pundits, the jaundiced eye can paint him as one more hip-hop bro-country expansion, albeit one with some serious facial ink. Holly Gleason, Variety, 2 June 2023 If so, courts have historically given a jaundiced eye towards revenue rulings issued to buttress the government’s litigation position. David Herzig, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jaundiced.' 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

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jaundiced was in 1640

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Dictionary Entries Near jaundiced

Cite this Entry

“Jaundiced.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaundiced. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

jaundiced

adjective
jaun·​diced ˈjȯn-dəst How to pronounce jaundiced (audio)
1
: affected with or as if with jaundice
2
: showing or influenced by envy, dislike, or hostility
a jaundiced eye

Medical Definition

jaundiced

adjective
jaun·​diced -dəst How to pronounce jaundiced (audio)
: affected with jaundice
a deeply jaundiced patient
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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