indrawn

[in-drawn]

adjective

reserved; introspective: a quiet, indrawn man.

made with the breath drawn in: an indrawn sigh.

Origin of indrawn

First recorded in 1745–55; in-¹ + drawn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for indrawn

Historical Examples of indrawn

He checked on a long, shuddering, indrawn breath that was horrible to hear.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
He paused midway in his phrase with indrawn breath, waiting for her reply.
"Unto Caesar"
Baroness Emmuska Orczy
But Bianca's lips, parted, indrawn, seemed saying: 'You ask too much!
Fraternity
John Galsworthy
"I wish it were—I wish it were," she repeated, with an indrawn sigh.
The Motor Pirate
George Sidney Paternoster
"It is so strange," said Hanny, with a long, indrawn breath.
A Little Girl of Long Ago
Amanda Millie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for indrawn

indrawn

adjective

drawn or pulled in

inward-looking or introspective

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

Word Origin and History for indrawn

adj.

also in-drawn, 1751, from in (adv.) + past tense of draw (v.). Middle English had indrawing "action of drawing in" (late 14c.). The plain verb indraw is rare, late 19c., and might be a back-formation.