Meaning & use
waxen skin color
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedicalliterary
a pale, yellowish, dull complexion that looks like wax, often suggesting illness or death.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'a' when describing a particular instance: a waxen skin color.
Patterns
- have a waxen skin color
- a waxen skin color
The doctor noted his waxen skin color and ordered blood tests.
Her waxen skin color worried her friends, who urged her to see a doctor.
Common combinations
- a waxen skin color
- He had a waxen skin color that suggested he hadn't slept in days.
- waxen complexion
- The illness left her with a waxen complexion.
- pale and waxen
- His face was pale and waxen after the long illness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pallid
- Pallid means pale, often from illness, but does not necessarily imply a yellowish, waxy quality.
- ashen
- Ashen means gray and pale, like ashes, rather than yellowish like wax.
- sallow
- Sallow means yellowish and unhealthy-looking, but it is less specific about the waxy texture.
Opposites
Word family
- waxen adjective
- made of wax or resembling wax in appearance, often pale and smooth.
- waxy adjective
- having a texture or appearance like wax.
Commonly confused: waxen skin color or waxen?
waxen skin color vs waxen
Waxen is an adjective meaning 'like wax'; it is not a noun. The phrase 'waxen skin color' uses it to describe the skin.
Practice
What does 'waxen skin color' typically describe?
Choose one answer.
Waxen skin color refers to a pale, yellowish, dull appearance like wax, often indicating illness. Rosy, tanned, or flushed complexions are the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “waxen skin color”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.