Definition of palest - 2 dictionary results
pale
1
[peyl] 
adjective, pal⋅er, pal⋅est, verb, paled, pal⋅ing.–adjective
| 1. | lacking intensity of color; colorless or whitish: a pale complexion. |
| 2. | of a low degree of chroma, saturation, or purity; approaching white or gray: pale yellow. |
| 3. | not bright or brilliant; dim: the pale moon. |
| 4. | faint or feeble; lacking vigor: a pale protest. |
–verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
| 5. | to make or become pale: to pale at the sight of blood. |
Related forms:
palely, adverb
paleness, noun
Synonyms:
1. Pale, pallid, wan imply an absence of color, esp. from the human countenance. Pale implies a faintness or absence of color, which may be natural when applied to things, the pale blue of a violet, but when used to refer to the human face usually means an unnatural and often temporary absence of color, as arising from sickness or sudden emotion: pale cheeks. Pallid, limited mainly to the human countenance, implies an excessive paleness induced by intense emotion, disease, or death: the pallid lips of the dying man. Wan implies a sickly paleness, as after a long illness: wan and thin; the suggestion of weakness may be more prominent than that of lack of color: a wan smile. 5. blanch, whiten.
1. Pale, pallid, wan imply an absence of color, esp. from the human countenance. Pale implies a faintness or absence of color, which may be natural when applied to things, the pale blue of a violet, but when used to refer to the human face usually means an unnatural and often temporary absence of color, as arising from sickness or sudden emotion: pale cheeks. Pallid, limited mainly to the human countenance, implies an excessive paleness induced by intense emotion, disease, or death: the pallid lips of the dying man. Wan implies a sickly paleness, as after a long illness: wan and thin; the suggestion of weakness may be more prominent than that of lack of color: a wan smile. 5. blanch, whiten.
Antonyms:
1. ruddy. 5. darken.
1. ruddy. 5. darken.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To palest
| pale 2 (pāl) adj. pal·er, pal·est
v. tr. To cause to turn pale. v. intr.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pallidus, from pallēre, to be pale; see pel-1 in Indo-European roots.] pale'ly adv., pale'ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
