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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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

In Jamaica, the impact was most severe in the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth, where knee-deep mud and washed-out bridges left towns such as Black River cut off.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

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

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2025

The family stood huddled outside the control tower of Smythe Field, a washed-out naval air station outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Their fear has been the opposite mistake: reacting to price changes that will have washed out of the data by the time higher rates take effect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Most of the weak handed and/or speculative holders have almost certainly been washed out over the past six months, and this gives gold some upside headroom,” says Rhona O’Connell of StoneX in a research note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

On land, habitats for hedgehogs, field voles and other small mammals have been washed out, resulting in them being pushed out of their homes and drowning.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

Momentum readings look washed out, sentiment has cooled, and price is holding key support.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

The woman with the earrings gets herself back under the dryer, and the other lady goes back to getting her relaxer washed out.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake