cadaverous
/kə'dævərəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Resembling a corpse in appearance; extremely pale, thin, or gaunt: Describing a person who looks very pale, thin, and unhealthy, often as if near death.
- Of or relating to a cadaver: Pertaining to the characteristics of a dead body.
Usage and Examples
Describing a pale, gaunt appearance:
- After his long illness, his face was cadaverous and his eyes were sunken.
- The prisoner emerged from the dungeon with a cadaverous look, shocking his family.
Describing something reminiscent of death or a corpse:
- The dim light gave the empty hall a cadaverous gloom.
- He managed a cadaverous smile that did not reach his eyes.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Literary and Descriptive Use: The word is often used in literary, medical, or descriptive contexts to evoke a strong image of illness, starvation, or death-like pallor. It carries a more severe and clinical connotation than words like "thin" or "pale."
- Figurative Use: Can be applied to non-human subjects (e.g., landscapes, light, atmosphere) to suggest a lifeless, deathly quality.
- The cadaverous light of the moon made the ruins look eerie.
Variants and Related Words
- Cadaver (n): A dead body, especially one intended for dissection.
- Cadaverously (adv): In a cadaverous manner.
- He smiled cadaverously.
Synonyms
- Gaunt: Extremely thin and bony, often from hunger or age.
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
- Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
- Skeletal: Pertaining to or resembling a skeleton; very thin.
- Wan: Pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.
- Corpse-like: Directly resembling a dead body.
Antonyms
- Rosy: Having a healthy red or pink color.
- Plump: Having a full, rounded shape.
- Robust: Strong and healthy; vigorous.
- Ruddy: Having a healthy red color.
Idioms and Phrases
- A cadaverous complexion: A fixed phrase describing an extremely pale and unhealthy skin tone.
- The fever left him with a cadaverous complexion for weeks.
Adjective
- of or relating to a cadaver or corpse
- we had long anticipated his cadaverous end
- very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
- emaciated bony hands
- a nightmare population of gaunt men and skeletal boys
- eyes were haggard and cavernous
- small pinched faces
- kept life in his wasted frame only by grim concentration