wanly
Americanadverb
-
in a wan manner or with a wan appearance; in a tired, sickly, pale, or weak way.
-
without much enthusiasm, energy, or effectiveness; feebly or half-heartedly.
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.
“It’s been a long day,” I said wanly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
"I'm a Spice Girl – girl power," she says and wanly adds, "but my confidence got taken away from me. So this is all about me gaining it back."
From Salon • Jan. 4, 2023
On Saturday, as musicians toted home mementos of their years there, some wanly noted that Bedrock closing meant the end of a chapter of their lives.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2022
This doesn’t mean that Disney, or anyone else, should revert to the Cinderella model of trilling, passive sweetness wanly squaring off against unrelenting cruelty.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2021
She smiled wanly and continued down the aisle between the looms.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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.
