as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
still looking ashen from his bout with the flu
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Recent Examples of ashen
Though ashen, the convex steel form still resonates to the rhythmic thump of her hands.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Blend it in with a finger, a brush, or a sponge, and voila: a summery, outdoorsy flush to keep ashen winter skin at bay.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025
This hadn’t mattered for some time, because the creek was dry, the creek was ashen.
—Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
But on one of our last days, the ashen sky cracked open to reveal fragments of a cerulean canvas.
—Celeste Moure, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ashen
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Blend it in with a finger, a brush, or a sponge, and voila: a summery, outdoorsy flush to keep ashen winter skin at bay.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025
This hadn’t mattered for some time, because the creek was dry, the creek was ashen.
—Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
But on one of our last days, the ashen sky cracked open to reveal fragments of a cerulean canvas.
—Celeste Moure, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ashen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ashen
Adjective
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While disrupting the business of an American multinational company may seem a pallid response to the destruction of an Iranian primary school where more than a hundred children were killed, such asymmetric attacks in the physical and digital realms have been a feature of this conflict.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Out of the bloodstains shone a pair of bright blue eyes, and a heart was beating under the pallid skin that looked several sizes too big.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While visiting Malta with Prince Philip in 1951, the late monarch wore a pale purple beaded gown and fur stole.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
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Raspberries won't ripen after being picked, so be careful not to choose underripe ones that are pale.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ashen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ashen. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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