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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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
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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
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In 2014, the federal government also granted her permission to leave and re-enter the country to visit a sick family member in Mexico.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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In other words, routinely overloading on MSG (or feeling abnormally sick afterward) isn’t a viable concern for most people.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The legs of the males are pale tan, while the torso is a dark blue.—
Chloe Chapin,
Washington Post,
20 Feb. 2026
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This includes the black-and-white Courtly Check, pale-pink Rosy Check, ornate Butterfly Toile, springtime-evoking Wildflowers, and Butterfly Hill.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
20 Feb. 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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Taken on its own, however, Boyle and Garland’s trip back to this hellscape makes the most of casting a jaundiced, bloodshot eye at our current moment.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
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But a more jaundiced government, like the one currently led by Trump, might be tempted to penalize India for this behavior.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Planting too early in the season when the soil is cool might result in a sickly plant all season long or seeds that won't germinate.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Cupid and Psyche 85, in its sickly plastic way, is a profoundly uplifting record.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Surveillance footage showed three people dressed in dark clothing forcing him into a white SUV and speeding off, investigators said.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Photographed heading to Lattanzi in New York with his colleagues for the week, Storrie opted for a chocolate brown, shearling collared leather jacket by Sandro, a cobalt blue knit, straight-leg blue jeans, and black Saint Laurent penny loafers with white socks.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Officials recommend destroying the insects and their gray, waxy egg masses, which are typically laid from October through December.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
17 Feb. 2026
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Big, waxy flowers called lobster claws protruded from thick stalks.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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