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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-aut, 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

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

They were given the chance of redemption at the T20 World Cup, only to be put on the brink of elimination by a washed-out match against Scotland and a heavy defeat by Australia.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2024

You turn in a slow circle, taking in the washed-out yellow-and-green signs pointing to the camping showers.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

North Carolina's famed Highway 12, which traces the razor-thin chain of barrier islands off its coast, was washed out this week, stranding some island residents from the mainland.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

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

My blue hair washed out to a mossy green, and I just went with it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 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

His eyes are watery, the brown washed out to the color of a penny, his hair completely snow white and thinning.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland