sunken

American  

[suhng-kuhn] / ˈsʌŋ kən /

adjective

1. having sunk or been sunk beneath the surface; submerged.

2. having settled to a lower level, as walls.

3. situated or lying on a lower level.

   a sunken living room.

4. hollow; depressed.

   sunken cheeks.

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verb

1. Obsolete. a past participle of sink.

sunken British  

/ ˈsʌŋkən /

verb

1. a past participle of sink

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adjective

1. unhealthily hollow

   sunken cheeks

2. situated at a lower level than the surrounding or usual one

3. situated under water; submerged

4. depressed; low

   sunken spirits

Other Word Forms

• half-sunken adjective
• unsunken adjective

Etymology

Origin of sunken

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, past participle of sinken to sink

Example Sentences

His eyes were sunken and rolled back in his head.

From Literature

He was thinner in the face, with dark rings under his sunken eyes.

From Literature

Tommy Thompson, 73, discovered millions of dollars' worth of sunken treasure from the 1857 wreckage of the SS Central America, also known as the Ship of Gold, off the coast of South Carolina in 1988.

From BBC

And Cat’s mother, who sat in their yard, teeth gone, cheeks sunken, with no money to pay the rent.

From Literature

Her eyes were no longer blank, but sunken with exhaustion.

From Literature