Meaning & use
swarthy
Having a dark complexion, typically referring to a person's skin tone.
See it in a sentence
The old photograph showed a swarthy sailor with weathered skin and a thick beard.
Travel writers of the era often described the region's swarthy, sun-browned farmers.
A note on using this word
Swarthy is somewhat dated and can carry old-fashioned overtones, so modern writers often prefer more neutral, specific descriptions.
Words with a similar meaning
dark-skinnedtanned
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
palefair
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swarthy”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.