sunken

adjective

sunk·​en ˈsəŋ-kən 

1

: submerged

especially : lying at the bottom of a body of water

2

a

: hollow, recessed

sunken cheeks

b

: lying in a depression

a sunken garden

c

: settled below the normal level

d

: constructed below the normal floor level

a sunken living room

Synonyms

• concave
• hollow
• depressed

Examples of sunken in a Sentence

Her eyes were sunken and lifeless.

our convalescing guest's sunken cheeks soon filled out on a diet of my mother's cooking

Recent Examples on the Web

Once inside, a small foyer flows to a sunken fireside living room boasting a soaring wood-beam ceiling dotted with large woven rattan pendant lights and sliding glass doors spilling outside. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2025

After crashing in the ocean, fire department members swam to the sunken plane and promptly rescued Finkelstein from the aircraft. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Andrew Pepler — the great-great-great grandson of James Carruthers, the shipping executive after whom a sunken freighter was named — said the news that the missing ship was finally found overwhelmed him with a flood of emotions. —Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Smoke curls from sunken irori hearths inside centuries-old farmhouses—as fires crackle and miso simmers in clay pots. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sonkyn, past participle of sinken to sink

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sunken

• drunken
• shrunken

Kids Definition

sunken

adjective

sunk·​en ˈsəŋ-kən 

1

: being submerged

especially : lying at the bottom of a body of water

sunken ships

2

: fallen in : hollow

sunken cheeks

3

a

: lying in a depression

a sunken garden

b

: constructed below the normal floor level

a sunken living room