as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
she looks a little wan after all that tiring work
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wan
Evans managed both to placate the money men at Gulf & Western, who wanted to sell Paramount because of its wan revenue, and become a peer of Hollywood's rambunctious talent.
—
cleveland, 28 Oct. 2019
What seemed inventive and clever in the confines of a small off-Broadway theater feels utterly wan in its current incarnation.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2019
Our family just discovered Gobi Manchurian, and for anyone who considers cauliflower a wan version of broccoli, try this and banish thoughts of soggy vegetables from your mind.
—BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
In spite of the lovingly detailed suburban ambience, interiors, gardens and clothes, the atmosphere feels torqued beyond time and history into a fairy tale theater of desire and wan hope.
—Marina Warner, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for wan
cleveland, 28 Oct. 2019
What seemed inventive and clever in the confines of a small off-Broadway theater feels utterly wan in its current incarnation.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2019
Our family just discovered Gobi Manchurian, and for anyone who considers cauliflower a wan version of broccoli, try this and banish thoughts of soggy vegetables from your mind.
—BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
In spite of the lovingly detailed suburban ambience, interiors, gardens and clothes, the atmosphere feels torqued beyond time and history into a fairy tale theater of desire and wan hope.
—Marina Warner, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for wan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wan
Adjective
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His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
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
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Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio had already spun the Renaissance fantasy of the bella donna, with her golden tresses, blue eyes, and pale skin.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Some produce pale purple flowers that form crowns around deep green foliage, but others bloom in pink, red, blue, and white hues.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wan. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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