wan
1of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color: His wan face suddenly flushed.
showing or suggesting ill health, fatigue, unhappiness, etc.: a wan look; a wan smile.
lacking in forcefulness, competence, or effectiveness: their wan attempts to organize the alumni.
Archaic.
dark or gloomy.
pale in color or hue.
to become or make wan.
Origin of wan
1synonym study For wan
Other words for wan
Opposites for wan
Other words from wan
- wanly, adverb
- wanness, noun
Other definitions for wan (2 of 3)
Other definitions for WAN (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wan in a sentence
"Thim wans ain't," returned the Irishman, and relapsed into gloomy silence.
Connie Morgan in Alaska | James B. HendryxThey come separate, Jawn; but they go home together, thim young wans.
Mr. Dooley: In the Hearts of His Countrymen | Finley Peter DunneBut his artfulness is such that he gets extra-long imitation wans, like stilts, to do his coortin' on.
Desert Conquest | A. M. ChisholmThem that's so aisy on themsilves is the very wans to be hard on iverything and iverybody.
The Widow O'Callaghan's Boys | Gulielma ZollingerI've seen them big boys givin' 'em to the little wans, particular to them as their folks don't want to use 'em.
The Widow O'Callaghan's Boys | Gulielma Zollinger
British Dictionary definitions for wan (1 of 2)
/ (wɒn) /
unnaturally pale esp from sickness, grief, etc
characteristic or suggestive of ill health, unhappiness, etc
(of light, stars, etc) faint or dim
to make or become wan
Origin of wan
1Derived forms of wan
- wanly, adverb
- wanness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for WAN (2 of 2)
wide area network
Nigeria (international car registration)
Origin of WAN
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for WAN
[ wăn ]
Short for wide area network.A communications network that uses such devices as telephone lines, satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a LAN. The Internet is a WAN.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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