cadaverous

[ kuh-dav-er-uhs ]

adjective

1. of or like a corpse.
2. pale; ghastly.
3. haggard and thin.

cadaverous

/ kəˈdævərəs /

adjective

1. of or like a corpse, esp in being deathly pale; ghastly
2. thin and haggard; gaunt

Derived Forms

• caˈdaverously, adverb
• caˈdaverousness, noun

Other Words From

• ca·daver·ous·ly adverb
• ca·daver·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cadaverous¹

First recorded in 1620–30, cadaverous is from the Latin word cadāverōsus like a corpse. See cadaver, -ous

Example Sentences

In cities like New York and San Francisco, cadaverous young men with lesions on their arms and faces were a frequent sight.

From Salon

With a face caked in cadaverous makeup that accentuates a cheeky smirk with teeny fangs, this bloodsucker is impossible to take seriously.

From New York Times

But I do think it is important to note that the cadaverous, mind-numbing SEO articles that ChatGPT aims to replace were historically assigned to the lowest and most exploitable rungs of a news organization’s faculty.

From Slate

There’s the sorrowful grayscale of both the engrossing “Women Talking” and the despairing “All Quiet on the Western Front” — palettes that might be called bloodless, except that, in these violent and at times grisly films, black blood pours liberally from grayish gashes in cadaverous flesh.

From Los Angeles Times

Bodily, Darius remains at home, a cadaverous figure lit by a glowing orb as in a painting by a Dutch master — the handiwork of Feliksas Abrukauskas, whose cinematography smoothly integrates the film’s C.G.I.

From New York Times