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
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
The eyes are sallow, the shoulders slumped, and the proud corona of hair is gone, instead a thin outline of flat, dark hair covers his head.
—Bob Guccione Jr, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sallow
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
The eyes are sallow, the shoulders slumped, and the proud corona of hair is gone, instead a thin outline of flat, dark hair covers his head.
—Bob Guccione Jr, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sallow
Adjective
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His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Out of the bloodstains shone a pair of bright blue eyes, and a heart was beating under the pallid skin that looked several sizes too big.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
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People without health insurance tend to seek less preventative treatment, become sick more frequently, and die younger than do people with insurance.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Soften a razor-sharp stiletto with this intricate design that features a milky white base, pale pink tips, and chrome powder.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
4 Apr. 2026
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Prince William, Kate and baby George spent Easter in Australia in 2014 during their royal tour of the Commonwealth realm, where Kate wore the pale coat dress by her bridal designer with the Jane Taylor ribbon hat.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Investors are increasingly taking a jaundiced view of that kind of spending, especially without a more pronounced acceleration in growth.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Though undeniably popular, social media is regarded now with an increasingly jaundiced eye, as the suits against Meta have proved.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Working with his regular cinematographer Oleg Mutu, Loznitsa gives this prison — and authoritarianism itself — a sickly luster without ever denying its wretched stench.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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In a large, rather attractive room, five men sat around a table, all in military uniforms, except for one sickly old man.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One begins to think that the condition is hereditary—that, instead of a Habsburg jaw, the wealthy white denizens of New Orleans high society are saddled with emotional problems.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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For every marginalized person, but for the purposes of Yesteryear, a white, relatively impoverished woman living without close proximity to other women, allies, etc.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If not covered in additional layers and warmed swiftly, your skin turns a grayish-yellow and becomes hard and waxy.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
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To help keep their moisture levels in check and protect themselves from wind, desert plants often have spiny, waxy, or hairy leaves.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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