WAN Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

wan

adjective

ˈwän

Definition of wan

as in pallid

lacking a healthy skin color she looks a little wan after all that tiring work

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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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wan

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

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

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wampum

wan

wander

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“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wan. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of wan

adjective

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