How to use sallow in a sentence

24 example sentences · adjective, verb, noun

Sallow means of a sickly pale colour. Example: “For more than a century after the scandal of 1865, artists and historians wrestled with Olympia’s sallow skin, the bracelet on her right forearm, the orchid in her upswept red hair.”

Examples of sallow by meaning

adjectiveOf a sickly pale colour.

For more than a century after the scandal of 1865, artists and historians wrestled with Olympia’s sallow skin, the bracelet on her right forearm, the orchid in her upswept red hair.2023 September 9, Jason Farago, “The 19th Century’s Most Scandalous Painting Comes to New York”, in The New York Times

adjectiveOf a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia.

The girls are mostly Slavic-pretty, long-limbed with high cheekbones, sallow skin and green eyes.2007 December 23, David McWilliams, We must begin the culture debate
A yellow undertone is often found on people with sallow skin – e.g.17 January 2012, Aisling, "Am I pink or yellow? How to choose the right foundation tone. And what is the deal with Mac foundations?"...
She had such lovely sallow skin, the handsome high cheekbones of the north with the brown conker-colour eyes and the dark silken hair.2012 June 13, Billy Keane, “I feel so much for Mickey. Maybe there is peace for him in sport”, in Irish Independent

adjectiveHaving skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour.

She put her hand on the arm of her careworn, sallow father, and frothing her light draperies, proceeded over the eternal red carpet.1920, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 1, in Women in Love, New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, published 1996, page 14
In a matter of hours she was looking gaunt, and sallow: her face had a kind of negative color.1982, Saul Bellow, chapter 2, in The Dean’s December, New York: Pocket Books, published 1983, page 20

adjectiveHaving a similar pale, yellowish colour.

Scenes like this — the sallow evening light, the old Indian cropping grass, the creak of the cartwheels, the streaming egrets — were more native to him than England.1934 October, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], “Chapter 5”, in Burmese Days, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, Publishers...
In a restaurant window little meringue cases, not quite sallow and not quite white.1992, Edna O’Brien, Time and Tide, New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, Part 4, Chapter 44, p. 319
Now a sallow night-light glowed from the table and heaped large shadows on the beds and up the walls.2011, Alan Hollinghurst, The Stranger’s Child, New York: Knopf, Part 2, Chapter 8, p. 169

adjectiveFoul; murky; sickly.

The boat's deck was covered in moss, and its warm, sallow water was filled with lichens that gave off an eerie green glow.2011, Jacob Murphy, Guardians, page 44
My mouth went dry and a sallow feeling descended upon me.2012, Dr. James Kennedy, The Baywood Tales, page 17
The burden of a hollow and sallow feeling that was suffocating my soul as a learner had given way at this time to a joyous feeling of anticipation;2013, Dr. John H. LaManque, A Bricklayer's Story, page 130

verbTo become sallow.

The tan of his sunburnt face and hands contrasted sadly with the sallowing skin of the girl-wife, who, despite his care, was sinking under her task of son-bearing.1912, Flora Annie Steel, King-Errant, New York: Frederick A. Stokes, Book 2, Chapter 6, p. 212
His complexion had darkened, sallowed; his black moustache had lost boldness, become sardonic; there were lines which she did not know about his face.1920, John Galsworthy, “‘Here We are Again!’”, in In Chancery (The Forsyte Saga; 2), London: William Heinemann, →OCLC, part II, page 225

nounA European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.

Now, everything irritated him: the two sallows, one all gold and perfume and murmur, one silver-green and bristly, reminded him, that here he had taught her about pollination.1914, D. H. Lawrence, “The Shades of Spring”, in The Prussian Officer and Other Stories, London: Duckworth, page 158

More sentences with sallow

Or here I've Carmine, which is very becoming on sallower skin like yours, so it is.2022, Lucy Caldwell, These Days, Faber. From the entry becoming
He was sallow, morose-looking, and wearing dark glasses indoors: a thoroughly bad sign.2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic, published 2011, page 283. From the entry mukhabarat
To combat the sallow tones, olive, medium-dark or caramel skin-toned girls can use an apricot undermakeup moisturizer.1972, Glamour's beauty & health book, →ISBN, page 145. From the entry undermakeup
Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean.1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The…. From the entry clean
There is an oval maidan, and a long sallow hospital.1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin, published 2005, page 5. From the entry maidan
“So am I,” said the sallow young woman.1904 June 18, “The Girl Philosopher”, in Marion Daily Star, volume XXVII, number 173, Marion, Ohio, page six. From the entry ancient marineress
His sallow skin looked as though it had been painted with walnut stain, and he spoke French fast but with an entirely English pronunciation.1973, Victor Sawdon Pritchett, Midnight Oil, page 17. From the entry voolay
He was a sallow, dyspeptic man, with a premature shock of grey hair, attached to the stage as an occupation but not a vocation.1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 23. From the entry dyspeptic
From the pale refinement of her genteel heroine to the sallow complexioning of poor white trash, Stowe colors her narrative with the hues of the body.2003, Leland Krauth, Mark Twain & Company: Six Literary Relations, page 118. From the entry complexion

Meaning of sallow

adjective Of a sickly pale colour.
adjective Of a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia.
adjective Having skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour.

Full definition of sallow

Questions about sallow in a sentence

How do you use sallow in a sentence?: Sallow is used as an adjective, verb and noun. For example: “For more than a century after the scandal of 1865, artists and historians wrestled with Olympia’s sallow skin, the bracelet on her right forearm, the orchid in her upswept red hair.”
What is a short sentence with sallow?: ““So am I,” said the sallow young woman.”
What does sallow mean?: Sallow means of a sickly pale colour.

Adapted from Wiktionary: sallow (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use sallow in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/sallow. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.