as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
she looks a little wan after all that tiring work
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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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Smith’s skin took on a new color, one more pallid with a blue, purple undertone.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 May 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Beneath the bone, the pale, smooth tube of spinal cord is exposed.—
Sophia Li,
NPR,
17 Aug. 2025
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Signs your plants need attention include pale foliage, spindly new growth, and fewer new flowers.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wan. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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