swarthy

American  

[swawr-thee, -thee] / ˈswɔr ði, -θi /

adjective

swarthier, swarthiest

1. (of skin color, complexion, etc.) dark.

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swarthy British  

/ ˈswɔːðɪ /

adjective

1. dark-hued or dark-complexioned

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Other Word Forms

• swarthiness
  noun
• swarthily
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swarthy swarthier swarthiest

"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

He turned down the offer of professional makeup, which left him perspiring and with a swarthy five o’clock shadow under the studio’s bright lights.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2019

Snow, the King in the North, was the perfect swarthy counterpart in his dark leather and furs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2019

Butterworth, who has three brothers and considers Mendes his fourth, is a sort of Mendes Maxi-Me: the same salt-and-pepper beard, the same swarthy skin, the same tonsorial style, but not the same metabolism.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 17, 2018

He was swarthy, dark haired, and one of those men who always look as if they need a shave no matter what the time of day.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

He was taller, swarthier and more imposing than I had expected.

From Time Magazine Archive

Behind him marched proudly a dusty line of men, well-armed and bearing great battle-axes; grim-faced they were, and shorter and somewhat swarthier than any men that Pippin had yet seen in Gondor.

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

“Allays,” said the one nearest to him, a swarthier, more surly, and fiercer-looking fellow than his companion.

From The Silver Canyon A Tale of the Western Plains by Hildibrand, Henri Théophile

He compared that glow to the insurgent blood ever ready to mantle in the cheeks of the Sitt Hilda; but this was a warmer, swarthier flush than ever dyed the white skin of a Frank.

From The Valley of the Kings by Pickthall, Marmaduke William

His face was handsome, and bearded, but swarthier far than his companion's, and the backs of his long fine hands were almost black.

From The Sea-Hawk by Sabatini, Rafael

The swarthiest among the swarthy faces, the darkest of dark hair, the most passionate among the fiery spirits belonged to Isaak Todros.

From An Obscure Apostle A Dramatic Story by Soissons, C. S. de

Amid a roar of rage from a thousand throats, a roar that might have shaken the stoutest heart, and blanched the swarthiest cheek, Bezers disappeared within!

From The House of the Wolf; a romance by Weyman, Stanley John

And do you, sir," continued the Guardsman to the swarthiest of them all, "feel the heat of the climate much?

From Here, There and Everywhere by Hamilton, Frederick Spencer, Lord

The coarsest complexion gains in lustre and smoothness when attempt is made to render it upon ivory; the dainty groundwork gleams through and gives beauty and clearness to the swarthiest hues.

From Art in England Notes and Studies by Cook, Dutton