swarthy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of swarthy
First recorded in 1570–80; unexplained variant of obsolete swarty ( swart + -y 1 )
Explanation
Swarthy means dark skinned. If you like tall, dark and handsome men, you find a swarthy complexion attractive. Not everyone with dark skin is swarthy. The word is usually used to describe someone whose skin is weather beaten and darkened by the sun, or has an olive complexion. But the famous 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman, who was of English and Dutch stock, seemed to be describing himself in his poem "Behold This Swarthy Face," so swarthy may be in the eyes of the beholder.
Vocabulary lists containing swarthy
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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"The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving
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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.
"You miss Russell Crowe, but Mescal is always watchable, with a stocky, swarthy, brooding presence," he added in the four-star review.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2024
This officer was thin and swarthy, and he had sad eyes.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019
He, on the other hand, was swarthy, big fishhook of a nose, two inches shorter than she.
From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2018
“Belushi’s looks are ideal for the role: at once swarthy and cherubic, he suggests a baby sunk in dissipation.”
From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2018
He knew Lem Harvey—a huge fellow with hulking shoulders and a sullen, swarthy face.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
