What does "sallow" mean?
A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
Sallow
/ˈsæl.oʊ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
- Grammar: sallow is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: achromatic, achromic, anemic, ashen.
- Useful contrasts: bright color, brighten, chirk.
- Usage evidence: A tall man with a sallow complexion walked into the room and sat down next to Tom.
How to use "sallow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sallow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sallow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sallow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sallow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sallow" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "achromatic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sallow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A European willow, Salix caprea, that has broad leaves, large catkins and tough wood.
"c. 1553, Humphrey Llwyd (translator), The Treasury of Healthe, London: William Coplande, Remedies, Chapter 44, I[f] a man eate the flowers of a sallow or wyllowe tree, or of a Poplet tree, they wyl make cold al the heate of carnall lust in hym."
- 2 any of several Old World shrubby broad-leaved willows having large catkins; some are important sources for tanbark and charcoal wordnet
- 3 A willow twig or branch.
"Who-so that buildeth his hous al of salwes, And priketh his blinde hors over the falwes, And suffreth his wyf to go seken halwes, Is worthy to been hanged on the galwes!"
Verb
- 1 To become sallow. intransitive
"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."
- 2 cause to become sallow wordnet
- 3 To cause (someone or something) to become sallow. transitive
"1835, Fanny Kemble (as Frances Anne Butler), Journal, London: John Murray, Volume 1, entry for 15 September, 1832, p. 105, footnote, The climate of this country is the scape-goat upon which all ill looks and ill health of the ladies is laid; but while they are brought up as effeminately as they are, take as little exercise, live in rooms like ovens during the winter, and marry as early as they do, it will appear evident that many causes combine with an extremely variable climate, to sallow their complexions, and destroy their constitutions."
Adjective
- 1 Yellowish.; Of a sickly pale colour.
"Jesu Maria, what a deal of brine Hath wash’d thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!"
- 2 Yellowish.; Of a tan colour, associated with people from southern Europe or East Asia. Ireland
"The girls are mostly Slavic-pretty, long-limbed with high cheekbones, sallow skin and green eyes. They are the closest thing to supermodels that Mulhuddart has ever seen."
- 3 Having skin (especially on the face) of a sickly pale colour.
"Time is jealous of you, and wars against your lilies and your roses. You will become sallow, and hollow-cheeked, and dull-eyed."
- 4 Having a similar pale, yellowish colour.
"The terrible descriptions were so real and vivid, that the sallow pages seemed to turn red with gore […]"
- 5 Foul; murky; sickly.
"Mr. President, the sallow air of our cities, the blackened sands of our seashores, our lakes and harbors reeking of sewage and depleted of oxygen are but a part of the sad legacy of the idea that nature can be treated as a servant, blindly obedient to every want, whim or pleasure of man."
Adjective
- 1 unhealthy looking wordnet
Example
"A tall man with a sallow complexion walked into the room and sat down next to Tom."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sallow"?
Common synonyms include: achromatic, achromic, anemic, ashen, ashy, aureate.
How do you use "sallow" in a sentence?
A tall man with a sallow complexion walked into the room and sat down next to Tom.
How do you pronounce "sallow"?
Pronounced /ˈsæl.oʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English salowe, from Old English salu, from Proto-West Germanic *salu, from Proto-Germanic *salwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *selH-. See also Dutch zaluw, dialectal German sal; also Irish salach (“dirty”), Welsh halog, Latin salīva, Russian соло́вый (solóvyj, “cream-colored”), and - through Frankish - French sale.
Etymology 2
From Middle English salow, salwe, from Old English sealh, from Proto-West Germanic *salh, from Proto-Germanic *salhaz, masculine variant of *salhō, *salhijǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂lk-, *sh₂lik-. See also Low German Sal, Saal; Swedish sälg; also Welsh helyg, Latin salix (and also a doublet of the thence derived English borrowing salix) probably originally a borrowing from some other language.