Pallid
/ˈpælɪd/
adjectiveB2
Definition
Pallid describes a color or appearance that is very light, almost white or pale. It often refers to a person's skin or face when they look unhealthy, weak, or without energy. It can also describe something that lacks brightness or strong color.
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See It in Action
Very pale or lacking color, especially in skin or face
- •After the long illness, her face was pallid and tired.
- •The room was dim, and the light made his skin look pallid.
- •He looked pallid when he heard the bad news.
Lacking strength, energy, or interest (used more figuratively)
- •The actor gave a pallid performance with no emotion.
- •The story was pallid and failed to keep the audience’s attention.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "pallid" like "pale" (A1 word), but more serious—like someone looks very sick or tired, not just light-skinned
- ✓Picture a person who just saw something scary and their face turns almost white, losing all color
- ✓It's the feeling you get when you see someone who is very tired or sick and looks weak
- ✓Sounds like "PAL-id" → imagine a "pal" (friend) who looks very pale and needs help
- ✓Think of ghost stories where characters look pallid because they are scared or weak
- ✓NOT like "white" (which is a color), "pallid" means lacking color in a way that shows weakness or illness
- ✓NOT like "pale" (which can be neutral), "pallid" often has a negative feeling about health or energy
- ✓NOT like "bright" or "colorful" which show strong, healthy colors
Try Other Words
- •Pale: very light in color (Use when talking about color without strong negative health meaning)
- •Wan: looking sick or tired (Use when emphasizing illness or tiredness)
- •Ashen: very pale, like ashes (Use when describing extreme paleness, often from fear or shock)
- •Colorless: without color (Use when talking about objects or things, less about people)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: No clear prefix or suffix; "pallid" is a root adjective
- •Etymology: From Latin "pallidus," meaning pale or wan
- •Historical development: Used since the 1500s in English to describe pale or sickly appearance
- •Modern usage: Still used mainly to describe pale skin or weak, uninteresting things like performances or colors
Reflect & Connect
•How can the word "pallid" help you describe feelings or situations beyond just skin color?
•When might it be better to use "pallid" instead of "pale" in a story or description?
Fill in the blanks
1.When someone is very sick, their face often looks pallid because their skin loses ___ and ___.
2.The actor’s pallid performance made the audience feel ___ and uninterested.
3.Unlike a healthy pale face, a pallid face shows signs of ___ or ___.
4.The room’s lighting made the colors look dull and ___, almost pallid.
5.After hearing the bad news, his face turned pallid with ___.
6.A pallid complexion can be a sign that someone is feeling ___ or ___.
7.The difference between "pale" and "pallid" is that pallid often suggests ___ or ___, not just light color.