SALLOW Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

sallow

adjective

Definition of sallow

as in pallid

having an unhealthy yellowish skin color He looked tired and sallow. She has a sallow complexion.

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Dissimilar Words

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 sallow The light blue shade counteracts purple and pink tones to cover redness and veins, while the peach shade brightens and corrects sallow-looking skin. — Lily Wohlner, Allure, 23 Dec. 2025 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 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

Young people in particular have soured on the technology over the last year, a development that may at least partially be explained by a pallid entry-level job market.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
This mordant melange takes off from the opening sequence, when Niaz finds himself at a casting call for an indie directed by Aza (Elene Mausuradze), an androgynous female director with the pallid look of a Tim Burton extra.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of pallid

Adjective

Hospital executives have begun reporting more unpaid medical bills, and experts warn health plans will raise premiums further as they're left with enrollees who are, on average, sicker and more expensive to cover.

— Christine Mai-Duc, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026
When workers become sick, exhausted, or unable to work safely, productivity falls, disruptions increase, and supply chains become more vulnerable.

— Lucy Siers, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of sick

Adjective

The open-plan four-bedroom features polished concrete floors, built-ins with pale wood, and windows placed to maximize energy efficiency.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
The interiors are just as blissful, with terra-cotta walls and smooth, wooden floor-to-ceiling wardrobes adding warmth to pale stone floors and marble bathrooms.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of pale

Adjective

Seeing her daughter in that state, babbling nonsense and barely able to stand, Letizia had goggled with the watery eyes of a sickly old lady.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
The woman’s body, painted in blazing magenta, is wrapped around a man rendered in sickly olive green, her head disappearing into his chest.

— Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of sickly

Adjective

Our clues to the density of forest canopies millions of years ago came from microscopic plant cuticles – the thin, waxy outer skin of leaves that can survive for millions of years in organic-rich sediments.

— Regan E. Dunn, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026
But hot temps can turn them into a waxy mess before your eyes.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026