pallid

[ pal-id ]

adjective

1. pale; faint or deficient in color; wan:

   a pallid countenance.

2. lacking in vitality or interest:

   a pallid musical performance.

pallid

/ ˈpælɪd /

adjective

1. lacking colour or brightness; wan

   a pallid complexion

2. lacking vigour; vapid

   a pallid performance

Derived Forms

• ˈpallidness, noun
• ˈpallidly, adverb

Other Words From

• pallid·ly adverb
• pallid·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pallid¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin pallidus “sallow,” equivalent to pall(ēre) “to be pale” + -idus adjective suffix ( -id ⁴ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pallid¹

C17: from Latin pallidus, from pallēre to be pale ¹

Synonym Study

See pale ¹.

Example Sentences

When the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels opened in September with its pallid array of commissioned art, I couldn’t help wondering how different it might have been had Bill Viola been invited to contribute a work.

From Los Angeles Times

He looked frail and pallid — a shadow of the man Tawana knew.

From Los Angeles Times

It is all too easy to trace the skull beneath the Gazan boy’s face, the pallid skin stretching tight over every curve of bone and sagging with every hollow.

From New York Times

It is a nova, a nuclear explosion bursting forth from the pallid corpse of a long-dead star.

From New York Times

The move to Arrakis goes catastrophically wrong; Paul’s father and most members of House Atreides are murdered by their enemies, most notably the pallid, villainous House Harkonnen.

From New York Times

Related Words

• anemic
• feeble
• ghastly
• lackluster
• sickly
• uninspired