ashen
1 Americanadjective
-
drained of colour; pallid
-
consisting of or resembling ashes
-
of a pale greyish colour
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ashen1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at ash 1, -en 2
Origin of ashen2
Explanation
Use the word ashen to describe the pale face of someone who is shocked and upset. Your best friend might look ashen when he hears that his favorite baseball team traded its star player. The adjective ashen was first used to describe ashes, the powdery substance left over when something burns, but it soon came to mean things that have the same pale, lifeless color as ashes. Like wood or coal that starts out brown or black and loses all color in the ashes that remain, things that are ashen are pale, washed out, or even colorless. Ashen is most often applied to the complexions of those facing stressful situations.
Vocabulary lists containing ashen
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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The Things They Carried
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ashen military officers likened the scenes to pogroms that haunt the ancestral memories of many Israelis.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2023
Batter Ashen Bandara comes in for Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage has been replaced by Jeffrey Vandersay.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2023
Sri Lanka's Ashen Bandara agonisingly drops a chance to dismiss Australia's Aaron Finch, juggling the ball three times before dropping it.
From BBC • Oct. 25, 2022
But I had hoped Three Hopes’ alternate universe story could at least help me see the appeal of the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, or Ashen Wolves before I had to choose one.
From The Verge • Jul. 8, 2022
Ashen and spent, Pollard said that the rail had been slow, and that he had been unable to get outside without fouling Rosemont.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
