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• washed-out
  washed-out

  adjective

  faded, especially from washing.
• washed out
  washed out

  adjective

  faded or colourless

washed-out

American  

[wosht-out, wawsht-] / ˈwɒʃtˈaʊt, ˈwɔʃt- /

adjective

1. faded, especially from washing.

2. Informal.

   1. weary; exhausted.

   2. tired-looking; wan.

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washed out British  

adjective

1. faded or colourless

2. exhausted, esp when being pale in appearance

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washed out Idioms  

1. Faded in color; also, lacking animation. For example, This carpet is all washed out from the sun, or He looks all washed out. [Late 1700s; early 1800s] Also see wash out, def. 3.

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Etymology

Origin of washed-out

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

washed-out washed out

But I also looked in at myself as a mother through the leaded-glass pane of our very lovely living-room windows, and I saw a washed-out woman worn down to the thinnest thread.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

Wearing a washed-out prison uniform and sporting a short grey beard, Masud listened as the hearing before judge Dabney L. Friedrich got under way at the District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

Celebrities like Dua Lipa and Lena Dunham have posted wistful, washed-out pictures celebrating the decennial.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

It’s funny how just the grainy, washed-out look of videotape can conjure so much melancholy.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2025

Tess and Eliana had taken a different route, disguising themselves in the raggedy washed-out clothing of Dust Bowl victims, complete with large circular goggles and cloth-wrapped faces.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

If it did, the attempt to recreate the first film’s magic would’ve come with plenty of film stock and some colored gels to make sure every shot isn’t washed out in jaundiced yellow.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

When she went to see the hole for herself, it appeared unchanged, and a contractor told her that the concrete had been washed out to sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The women's fixture was washed out and the men's game delayed by 30 minutes but, once the action got under way, fans were treated to a sensational innings from Buttler.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

After big storms, including Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed many camps and washed out power lines, the utility routinely made the necessary repairs and restored service, though it might take months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

“Hope you washed out that jar real good with hot water and soap. Hope you washed away the dill-pickle smell.”

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia