1
as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
everyone always looks cadaverous in the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gaunt
suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease
a cadaverous cancer patient living out his final days with dignity and courage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 cadaverous
As the hulking creature, the Australian star appears to have pale, cadaverous skin with lacerations across it and long, stringy hair.
—
Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Plus, the kid isn’t dead either, as his flailing pale self that looks on the verge of the cadaverous pops out of the trunk Jack shoves him in.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Moreover, keeping the cadaverous Biden in the White House is a daily reminder to the American people of the feebleness and anemia of the Democratic Party, which taints Harris by association.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
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
Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Plus, the kid isn’t dead either, as his flailing pale self that looks on the verge of the cadaverous pops out of the trunk Jack shoves him in.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Moreover, keeping the cadaverous Biden in the White House is a daily reminder to the American people of the feebleness and anemia of the Democratic Party, which taints Harris by association.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cadaverous
Adjective
-
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
-
Three weeks after that hit that sent a crowd of 75,261 at Empower Field into a pallid silence, Bryant is ever the same.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Regina was standing by the window now, looking even more gaunt under the artificial light of the bulb behind her and the faint glow of the sunrise in front, which barely managed to filter through the balcony awning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Thanks in part to Ozempic, thin is back in, with once-plus-size celebrities sporting svelter physiques, and some already-slim stars now verging on gaunt.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
1 Feb. 2026
-
For a minimal design, paint all of your nails a pale pink and add a tiny pink glitter heart to the base of one nail.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Later archeological research, including forensic examination of skeletal remains, has turned up no evidence for cannibalism or for a particularly bellicose society on Rapa Nui.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The oldest trace of syphilis For this research, scientists recovered the genome of the bacterium Treponema pallidum from the skeletal remains of an ancient hunter-gatherer buried in a rock shelter in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
No one’s going to want to watch a haggard perimenopausal woman who’s badly lit.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Now, the film is a downright classic, centering on three haggard witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) who go on a hilarious misadventure while trying to remain young forever.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cadaverous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cadaverous. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
