ashen

[ ash-uhn ]

/ ˈæʃ ən /

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adjective

ash-colored; gray.

extremely pale; drained of color; pallid: His face was ashen.

consisting of ashes.

OTHER WORDS FOR ashen

1 ashy.

2 pasty, colorless.

See synonyms for ashen on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of ashen

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at ash¹, -en²

Words nearby ashen

Ashdod, Ashdown, Ashe, Ashe, Arthur, Asheboro, ashen, ashen light, Asher, Asherah, Asherite, ashes

Other definitions for ashen (2 of 2)

ashen²

[ ash-uhn ]

/ ˈæʃ ən /

adjective

pertaining to the ash tree or its timber.

made of wood from the ash tree.

Origin of ashen

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; see ash², -en²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ashen in a sentence

“I turned completely ashen, completely pale,” Beck remembers.
The Intern Who Birthed The KAL007 Conspiracy Theories|Tim Mak|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They forecast an endless and ashen winter for the country that began as a brilliant idea.
Richard Hofstadter and America’s New Wave of Anti-Intellectualism|David Masciotra|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jerry Sandusky was alert but ashen as he stood at the defense table to hear his fate.
Sandusky Guilty Verdict: What's Next for Jerry|Diane Dimond|June 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When the ashen Silda Spitzer appeared with her husband Eliot, it was the last straw.
Weinergate: Men Will Always Cheat|Kay Hymowitz|June 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST

His hair was darker—almost brown save at the temples, where age had faded it to an ashen colour.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
His face is ashen gray; the black beard is streaked with red, and blood is oozing from his neck.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Lamb saw an ashen-face bespectacled man peering around the corner of an ell.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
They paused, aghast, and they turned ashen; and then in the mind of each arose the same explanation of this phenomenon.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
His good-looking young face turned to an ashen hue, and his eyes were wild and staring.
In the Onyx Lobby|Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for ashen (1 of 2)

ashen¹

/ (ˈæʃən) /

adjective

drained of colour; pallid

consisting of or resembling ashes

of a pale greyish colour

British Dictionary definitions for ashen (2 of 2)

ashen²

/ (ˈæʃən) /

adjective

of, relating to, or made from the ash tree or its timber

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ashen

OTHER WORDS FOR ashen

Origin of ashen

Words nearby ashen

Other definitions for ashen (2 of 2)

Origin of ashen

Words related to ashen

How to use ashen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ashen (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for ashen (2 of 2)