as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
still looking ashen from his bout with the flu
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ashen
Blend it in with a finger, a brush, or a sponge, and voila: a summery, outdoorsy flush to keep ashen winter skin at bay.
—
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025
This hadn’t mattered for some time, because the creek was dry, the creek was ashen.
—Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
Given shorter travel times, a greater number of people would be able to experience its otherworldly ashen plains.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
But on one of our last days, the ashen sky cracked open to reveal fragments of a cerulean canvas.
—Celeste Moure, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ashen
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025
This hadn’t mattered for some time, because the creek was dry, the creek was ashen.
—Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
Given shorter travel times, a greater number of people would be able to experience its otherworldly ashen plains.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
But on one of our last days, the ashen sky cracked open to reveal fragments of a cerulean canvas.
—Celeste Moure, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ashen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ashen
Adjective
-
His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
Once on the festival grounds, Kylie wore a ruffled, open front white Ann Demeulemeester top, paired with Levi’s 94 baggy jeans in a pale blue wash, Staud Freja leather thong sandals, a Chrome Hearts white gold belly chain, and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Blank Street’s roots trace back to 2020, when co-founders Freiha and Vinay Menda began selling coffee out of a pale-green coffee cart in the Williamsburg neighborhood of New York City.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ashen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ashen. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
