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
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
The beautiful young actress turns into a wan woman in a bandana and mismatched clothes.
—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2019
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
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
The beautiful young actress turns into a wan woman in a bandana and mismatched clothes.
—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2019
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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Robert Vaughn is a particularly pallid villain, and the movie’s case against computers, uh, hasn’t aged too well.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
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Rickman’s Snape was almost cartoonish with his hawk nose and long, straight black hair and pallid skin.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The creature had pale orange stripes along its body, eyes on the side of its head and other physical characteristics of a Barbados threadsnake.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 July 2025
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Other signs include pale or yellow leaves all over, mushy stems, and visible fungus at the base of the plant.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wan. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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