Adjective he was still a bit sallow after a week spent in bed with the flu

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Cancer transformed Wu from a baby-faced boy to a sallow wraith immobilized on a gurney. Washington Post, "China has pain pill addicts too, but no one’s counting them," 31 Dec. 2019

Her cheeks were sunken, complexion sallow, her tiny frame emaciated and frail. Washington Post, "Sold to China as a bride, she came home on brink of death," 12 Dec. 2019

Purple neutralizes sallow, yellow tones, while orange and red balance out blue and purple dark circles. Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "Erborian's CC Cream Cancels Out Redness Like Magic," 16 Oct. 2018

Chiffchaffs and willow warblers sing in the sallow and alder, while every leaf seems to hold a butterfly or dragonfly or hoverfly. The Economist, "Brexit is reverberating in British literature," 5 July 2018

With hints of greens and blues beneath her sallow flesh, the girl looks sickly. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New England museums to visit this summer and fall," 4 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, Thomas Lawrence and Joshua Reynolds looked sallow. Steven Litt, cleveland, "Cleveland Museum of Art refreshes British gallery with splash of color, new purchases, references to sins of empire," 30 Aug. 2020

Silhouettes of large trees loomed out of a sallow gray haze. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, "A Trailblazing Plan to Fight California Wildfires," 19 Aug. 2019

Shortly before Easter in 1144, a young boy named William was found dead in the sallow grass of a heath near the lively center of Norwich, England. John-paul Pagano, National Review, "Blood Libel: The Conspiracy Theory That Jews Are ‘Anti-Human’," 23 Sep. 2019

At death’s door, Grey’s saved by a complete artificial overhaul, including the smartbug critter invented by the tech genius with the sallow complexion (Harrison Gilbertson, on what might be termed a Jared Leto summer internship). Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Upgrade' review: Digital cockroaches replace human brains in this extremely gory thriller," 31 May 2018

Packer erases and etches into her father’s bare, sallow skin, making it worn and ravaged. Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "At the Rose, taking tenderness to unexpected places," 25 Apr. 2018

The lavender shade in L'Oréal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit helps rid your skin of that not-so-cute sallow look. Deanna Pai, Redbook, "6 Tiny Beauty Steps That Make All the Difference," 19 May 2017

Kahn dispensed with the classic library layout: a central reading room with rows of desks and sallow lamp light. Sara Bliss, WSJ, "Why I Hated America’s Most Stunning Library—At First," 21 Sep. 2017

The lavender shade in L'Oréal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit helps rid your skin of that not-so-cute sallow look. Deanna Pai, Redbook, "6 Tiny Beauty Steps That Make All the Difference," 19 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sallow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.