pall 1 of 2

1
as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body bearing her husband's pall were her four brothers and two nephews

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in cloud
an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom a persistent pall of distrust has overtaken this administration and will remain until the president resigns

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

pall

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pall different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of pall are cloy, glut, gorge, sate, satiate, and surfeit. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

When is it sensible to use cloy instead of pall?

While the synonyms cloy and pall are close in meaning, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

When might glut be a better fit than pall?

Although the words glut and pall have much in common, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

When is gorge a more appropriate choice than pall?

While in some cases nearly identical to pall, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

How are the words satiate and sate related as synonyms of pall?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

In what contexts can surfeit take the place of pall?

The meanings of surfeit and pall largely overlap; however, surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

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 pall
Noun
Several separate but interconnected developments over the past two weeks destabilized the legislature and cast a pall over the regular session’s final days. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2025 Our team on the ground at the 2025 Oscars reflects on the night’s key moments, from the controversy that cast an awkward pall over the ceremony to the rise of awards-season influencers. Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
If there was no Venice, does that mean that the overall attraction of an Adriatic cruise would pall? Julia Buckley, CNN, 8 May 2021 Reduced to highlights and stripped of distinction, Percy’s adventures with Furies, oracles, Medusa, Ares and Hades quickly pall. Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2019 See All Example Sentences for pall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pall
Noun
  • The Indiana Pacers are currently down 3-2 in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and an injury to Haliburton could be the nail in the coffin for them.
    Mikai Bruce, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • Surely one of these seemingly daily controversies — some profane dig at an American war hero, some resurfaced scandal from his past — would eventually be the nail in the coffin for the Donald Trump campaign.
    Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • Beneath this transformation lies a complex web of technical challenges that test the cloud's promise.
    Gaurav Mehta, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • The band of clouds that forms across the planet’s equator at this time of year, called the aphelion cloud belt, is on prominent display in Odyssey’s new panorama.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Though Smart was forced to wear a veil over her face, the couple recognized Mitchell from a composite sketch shared on America’s Most Wanted.
    Stephanie Kaloi, People.com, 5 June 2025
  • The alarming decline in Black student enrollment these last two years coupled with the dismantling of support programs, open a veil to what’s ahead: a devastating setback in economic mobility and progress for Black communities.
    Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • Once the killing subsided, a desperate search began to find a way to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.
    Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • The program’s vehicles were rentals and will be returned to vendors as the program subsides.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Experts said a casket filled with decorative objects discovered at the site likely belonged to a prominent woman, and noted very few like it have ever been found.
    Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025
  • On Wednesday, Tucker and her three sisters walked solemnly across the Woodland cemetery grounds with their brother in a casket covered with an American flag.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Later, before the funeral, the child's father, Mahmoud, kisses his son’s feet, the white shroud stained with bright-red blood.
    Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 21 May 2025
  • Once in space, the rocket releases the payload shroud, usually in two halves.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • But all this trouble didn’t diminish his affection.
    Brett Berk, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
  • And the chaos does gradually diminish, like a pot of stock boiled down to a sauce.
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • A lot of the postures in Kemetic yoga are based on postures from temples or tombs.
    J.M. Banks, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2025
  • Several tombs of high-ranking Ancient Egyptian officials were recently uncovered by local archaeologists, shedding new light on a bygone civilization.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pall. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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