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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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
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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
Adjective
-
Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are most likely to get sick from these germs.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The researchers also hope to test the protocol earlier in pregnancy, before a pregnant person gets seriously sick.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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While visiting Malta with Prince Philip in 1951, the late monarch wore a pale purple beaded gown and fur stole.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
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Raspberries won't ripen after being picked, so be careful not to choose underripe ones that are pale.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 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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Investors are increasingly taking a jaundiced view of that kind of spending, especially without a more pronounced acceleration in growth.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Though undeniably popular, social media is regarded now with an increasingly jaundiced eye, as the suits against Meta have proved.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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There’s a painterly look to the image, rather than the typical slop-style sickly sheen, but the AI origins are still unmistakable.—
Cath Virginia,
The Verge,
11 Apr. 2026
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For reasons that are still poorly understood, the body’s immune system, normally tuned exquisitely to root out and destroy invasive pathogens or sickly cells, begins to assault healthy cells instead.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The first lady matched with Queen Consort Camilla in all white during Camilla and King Charles' appearance on the White House's South Lawn on Day 2 of their state visit, Tuesday, April 28.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The food is exceptional, and there are white beaches to lie on and bubble-like suites to escape into.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The finish is medium to long, waxy, juicy, fruity, and extremely smooth.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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Unlike the children, who look like waxy versions of my own, this is my husband, with the soft face and the plaid shirt and the puppy dog— Eyes.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sallow. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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