Standard Lemma guide

pallid

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpælɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ælɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: P AE1 L AH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Appearing weak, pale, or wan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The patient left the hospital but was very pallid.
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:pallid.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ashen, pale, pasty, ghastly

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the pallid face of the invalid
  • her wan face suddenly flushed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pale, wan

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a pale rendition of the aria
  • pale prose with the faint sweetness of lavender
  • a pallid performance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pale

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the pale light of a half moon
  • a pale sun
  • the late afternoon light coming through the el tracks fell in pale oblongs on the street
  • a pallid sky
  • the pale (or wan) stars
  • the wan light of dawn

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pale, wan, sick

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin pallidus English pallid From Latin pallidus. Doublet of pale.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بلق (blaq) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Bulgarian: блед (bled) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Bulgarian: пребледнял (preblednjal) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Catalan: pàl·lid — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蒼白 /苍白 (cāngbái) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Czech: sinalý — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Czech: bledý — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Danish: bleg — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Dutch: bleek — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Esperanto: pala — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Finnish: kalpea — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • French: pâle — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • French: blafard — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Galician: pálido — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • German: fahl — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • German: bleich — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • German: blass — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Greek: πελιδνός (pelidnós) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Greek: κατάχλωμος (katáchlomos) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Hungarian: halovány — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Ido: pala — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Italian: pallido — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Korean: 창백(蒼白)하다 (changbaekhada) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Korean: 파리하다 (parihada) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Latin: pallidus — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Māori: kōmā — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Plautdietsch: blauss — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Polish: blady — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Portuguese: pálido — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Russian: бле́дный (blédnyj) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Russian: сла́бый (slábyj) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Sicilian: giarnu — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Sicilian: jancu — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Sicilian: sghiancatu — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Slovene: bledičen — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Slovene: bled — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Spanish: pálido — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Swedish: blek — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Ottoman Turkish: صاری (sarı) — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Walloon: bladje — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Walloon: bladjot — appearing weak, pale, or wan
  • Walloon: sblari — appearing weak, pale, or wan