Words / C2

PAL-id/ˈpælɪd/

Pallid means unhealthily pale, or of writing and performance, weak and lifeless: a pallid complexion, pallid prose. Pale (already in the dictionary) is everyday and not always unkind; wan is the close literary twin. Anaemic is the blood-and-style cousin. Do not call a required fire notice pallid because it is plain.

Meaning

Unhealthily pale; of writing or a performance, weak and lifeless.

Examples

• “Pallid minutes still have to name the missing date.”
• “Pale is everyday (already in the dictionary). Wan is literary and close. Colourless is the gloss. A face can be pallid after a night shift. Dull minutes can still be exact. Decor is not a methods standard. The cover may be wan; the cell cannot be empty.”

Good to know

Unhealthily pale; wan. Everyday: pale (already in this dictionary). Close: wan. A plain notice can still be the right item.

Near in meaning

pale

New