wan

1 of 3

adjective

wanner; wannest
1
a
: suggestive of poor health : sickly, pallid
b
: lacking vitality : feeble
2
: dim, faint
3
: languid
a wan smile
wanly adverb
wanness noun

wan

2 of 3

verb

wanned; wanning

intransitive verb

: to grow or become pale or sickly

WAN

3 of 3

noun

Examples of wan in a Sentence

Adjective She gave a wan laugh. she looks a little wan after all that tiring work
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
If the land in question has been converted from agricultural fields to golf-course acreage, the net impact of those other factors might actually be lessened, but that’s a wan exculpation. David Quammen, Outside Online, 2 Mar. 2020 What seemed inventive and clever in the confines of a small off-Broadway theater feels utterly wan in its current incarnation. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2019 The industrial lagers were flavorless, wan and dilute; craft beer, by contrast, would be rich, complex and delicious. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 31 Jan. 2020 That was the epoch of Tide football spearheaded by the Mikes — DuBose, Price and Shula with a dash of Dennis Franchione added into a wan mix of uninspired, sometimes scandalous leadership at the dawn of this century. Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press, 30 Dec. 2019 Evans managed both to placate the money men at Gulf & Western, who wanted to sell Paramount because of its wan revenue, and become a peer of Hollywood's rambunctious talent. cleveland, 28 Oct. 2019 Our family just discovered Gobi Manchurian, and for anyone who considers cauliflower a wan version of broccoli, try this and banish thoughts of soggy vegetables from your mind. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018 The beautiful young actress turns into a wan woman in a bandana and mismatched clothes. Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2019 In spite of the lovingly detailed suburban ambience, interiors, gardens and clothes, the atmosphere feels torqued beyond time and history into a fairy tale theater of desire and wan hope. Marina Warner, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2018
Noun
The router has ports for four Gigabit LANs and one Gigabit WAN. Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica, 12 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English wann dark, livid

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1578, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wan was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wan

Cite this Entry

“Wan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wan. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wan

adjective
ˈwän
wanner; wannest
1
a
: pale entry 1 sense 1b, sickly
a wan complexion
b
: lacking vitality : feeble
2
: dim entry 1 sense 1, faint
a wan light
3
: showing little effort : languid
a wan smile
wanly adverb
wanness
ˈwän-nəs
noun

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