What does "wallow" mean?
An instance of wallowing.
Wallow
adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instance of wallowing.
- Grammar: wallow is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: appreciate, baby, bask, bask in.
- Useful contrasts: activity, avoid, detach.
- Usage evidence: A pig will wallow in the mud in order to cool down.
How to use "wallow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wallow" 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 "wallow" 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 "wallow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wallow" 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 "wallow" 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 "appreciate" 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 "wallow", 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 An instance of wallowing. intransitive
- 2 an indolent or clumsy rolling about wordnet
- 3 A pool of water or mud in which animals wallow, or the depression left by them in the ground. intransitive
"However, we have no time to linger, and picking our way among the countless buffalo wallows which indent the level surface of the summit, the wagon, […]"
- 4 a puddle where animals go to wallow wordnet
- 5 A kind of rolling walk. intransitive
Verb
- 1 To roll oneself about in something dirty, for example in mud. intransitive
"Pigs wallow in the mud."
- 2 To fade, fade away, wither, droop; fail to flourish. UK, dialectal, intransitive
- 3 delight greatly in wordnet
- 4 To move lazily or heavily in any medium. intransitive
"The fire was thrown to a great height; the fountains and jets all wallowed together; new ones appeared, and danced joyously round the margin, then converging towards the centre they merged into one glowing mass, which upheaved itself pyramidally and disappeared with a vast plunge."
- 5 devote oneself entirely to something; indulge in to an immoderate degree, usually with pleasure wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically. figuratively, intransitive
"She wallowed in her misery."
- 7 be ecstatic with joy wordnet
- 8 To live or exist in filth or in a sickening manner. intransitive
"God sees a man wallowing in his native impurity."
- 9 roll around wordnet
- 10 rise up as if in waves wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Tasteless, flat. dialectal, intransitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A pig will wallow in the mud in order to cool down."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wallow"?
Common synonyms include: appreciate, baby, bask, bask in, bathe, baygall.
How do you use "wallow" in a sentence?
A pig will wallow in the mud in order to cool down.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English walowen, walewen, walwen, welwen, from Old English wealwian (“to roll”), from Proto-West Germanic *walwōn, variant of *walwijan, from Proto-Germanic *walwijaną (“to roll”), from Proto-Indo-European *welw-, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Cognate with Latin volvō (“roll, tumble”, verb).
Etymology 2
From Middle English walwen, from Old English wealwian (“to fade, wither”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of Old English fealwian (“to grow pale, turn yellow, ripen, wither”). Alternatively, perhaps related to Middle English welken (“to fade, droop, wither”), modern English welk.
Etymology 3
From Middle English walwe, walh, from Old English wealg, from Proto-West Germanic *walg, from Proto-Germanic *walgaz. Cognate with Dutch walg (“disgust”), dialectal Norwegian valg (“tasteless”). Doublet of waugh.