ashen

¹ American  

[ash-uhn] / ˈæʃ ən /

adjective

1. ash-colored; gray.

   Synonyms:

   ashy

2. extremely pale; drained of color; pallid.

   His face was ashen.

   Synonyms:

   colorless, pasty

3. consisting of ashes.

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ashen ² American  

[ash-uhn] / ˈæʃ ən /

adjective

1. pertaining to the ash tree or its timber.

2. made of wood from the ash tree.

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ashen ¹ British  

/ ˈæʃən /

adjective

1. drained of colour; pallid

2. consisting of or resembling ashes

3. of a pale greyish colour

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ashen ² British  

/ ˈæʃən /

adjective

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

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Etymology

Origin of ashen¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at ash ¹, -en ²

Origin of ashen²

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; see ash ², -en ²

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.

Example Sentences

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Batter Ashen Bandara comes in for Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage has been replaced by Jeffrey Vandersay.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

Behind it there hung a vast shadow, ominous as a thunder-cloud, the veils of Barad-dûr that was reared far away upon a long spur of the Ashen Mountains thrust down from the North.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien