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
The film is aggressively teal with a sallow greige (gray-beige) overcast.
—
Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Courtney Howard, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sallow
Adjective
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Opponents of the proposal want the county to consider different locations for the park site, arguing the project may harm a variety of native species to the area, including the western spadefoot toad and pallid bats.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
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While disrupting the business of an American multinational company may seem a pallid response to the destruction of an Iranian primary school where more than a hundred children were killed, such asymmetric attacks in the physical and digital realms have been a feature of this conflict.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One night in April when the boy playing Orlando was home sick and Jamie was waiting for Adele in their private coital chamber, Bromley kept her late to work on the scene where Orlando courts Rosalind playing Ganymede playing Rosalind.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Recently, she’s begun to feel physically sick due to everything going on in her life and is sharing with us that she’s been struggling with getting up, eating and other simple, everyday things.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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The national team player posted images on Instagram showcasing the distinctive headphones, featuring large, flat earcups, unique tubular telescoping arms, and an all-new pale pink finish.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Once mounted, the voluptuous nude body stands tall like a mountain against the pale wash of Sotheby’s London gallery.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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The abrupt shift into a more dramatic finale assumes an emotional connection to characters who may not be as outrageously vile as Duncan or Carl but who haven’t escaped the show’s jaundiced eye either.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
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Jaxon’s mother was in and out of the hospital with liver and kidney problems that were so dire, her jaundiced eyes turned as yellow as a highlighter pen.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The sickly childhoods of children’s literature likely reflect a number of factors.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
11 May 2026
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Soon Collie is ensnared in a plot to kidnap a sickly rich boy that immediately goes off the rails.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Two years in the making, this unexpected white marble pyramid jutting out of the sand dunes (which locals mistook as a hub for illicit activities during its construction) has significantly raised the culture bar in the area.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
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The suspect vehicle was described as a white truck, police said.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Engineers even worried that slow-moving crude would congeal inside the pipeline, creating waxy buildup that could turn TAPS into the world’s biggest tube of ChapStick.—
Jennifer A. Dlouhy,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
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Westman Atelier’s Lip Liner glides on the lips in a creamy wax blend that’s more high-performance conditioner with color payoff than a traditional waxy pencil.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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