waxen

adjective

Definition of waxennext
as in sallow

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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 waxen 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waxen
  1. sallow
  2. waxy
  3. pallid
  4. ashen
  5. sickly
  6. pale
  7. cadaverous
  8. ashy
Adjective
  • The colors are really sallow and kind of ugly.
    — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 14 May 2026
  • The cold of winter can leave your complexion dry, sallow, and desperate for hydration.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of sallow
Adjective
  • But hot temps can turn them into a waxy mess before your eyes.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
  • White phosphorus is a solid, waxy chemical that ignites instantly when combined with oxygen.
    — Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 6 June 2026
Definition of waxy
Adjective
  • Their bulging eyes stare back at the Queen’s Consort, empty in pallid faces.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • His first pitch brought in between five and eight residents but was met with pallid responses.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of pallid
Adjective
  • Lead—dense but yielding, silvery but ashen, handy but deadly—was long used for this purpose.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Always, always those little ashen faces.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
Definition of ashen
Adjective
  • Work took place in the spring and early summer and the pool was refilled in June, but an algae bloom returned just days later, turning the pool a sickly green color.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • In the heyday of her career, her choppy hair, flat chest, sickly pallor and large darting eyes were a manic pixie dream.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Definition of sickly
Adjective
  • Her long white hair, normally collected in a bun, trailed down past her shoulders in smooth, pale waves.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This is a place to order something sparkly—maybe the Broadway 75, a pale pink French 75 riff—to sip at the circular bar, or ensconced in the velvet banquette seats.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of pale
Adjective
  • Die große Nacht im Eimer (The Big Night Down the Drain), made that year, depicts a figure of indiscernible age with a cadaverous pallor and yellow splotches, brandishing an oversized phallus beneath a soot-black veil.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 30 Apr. 2026
  • As the hulking creature, the Australian star appears to have pale, cadaverous skin with lacerations across it and long, stringy hair.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of cadaverous
Adjective
  • When smoke lingers over a grape in that state, the volatile phenols will bind with the sugars in the grape skins, giving the fruit a smoky, sanguine, ashy taste.
    — Kate Dingwall, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • For years, many sunscreens left behind a noticeable white cast, looked ashy on deeper complexions, or felt heavy and greasy on the skin.
    — Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of ashy

Browse Nearby Words

waxed
waxen
waxes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waxen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waxen. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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