Standard Lemma guide

sunken

adj · verb · 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.

  • /ˈsʌŋkən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌŋkən
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 NG K AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Caused, by natural or unnatural means, to be depressed (lower than the surrounding area) or submerged

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The sunken ship lay at a depth of 100 feet

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face due to tiredness, illness, or old age.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • She looked old and thin with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

past participle of sink

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

having a sunken area

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • hunger gave their faces a sunken look

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deep-set, recessed

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: потопен (potopen) — depressed or submerged
  • Bulgarian: потънал (potǎnal) — depressed or submerged
  • Esperanto: kava — depressed or submerged
  • Finnish: uponnut — depressed or submerged
  • Finnish: upoksissa oleva — depressed or submerged
  • Georgian: ჩაძირული (čaʒiruli) — depressed or submerged
  • German: gesunken — depressed or submerged
  • German: versunken — depressed or submerged
  • Greek: βυθισμένος (vythisménos) — depressed or submerged
  • Hungarian: elsüllyedt — depressed or submerged
  • Hungarian: elmerült — depressed or submerged
  • Hungarian: süllyesztett — depressed or submerged
  • Hungarian: mélyített — depressed or submerged
  • Latin: summersus — depressed or submerged
  • Malayalam: മുങ്ങിയ (muṅṅiya) — depressed or submerged
  • Māori: mōroto — depressed or submerged
  • Romanian: scufundat — depressed or submerged
  • Romanian: afundat — depressed or submerged
  • Russian: затону́вший (zatonúvšij) — depressed or submerged
  • Russian: зато́пленный (zatóplennyj) — depressed or submerged
  • Swedish: nedsjunken — depressed or submerged
  • Turkish: batık — depressed or submerged
  • Turkish: batkın — depressed or submerged
  • Ottoman Turkish: باتقین (batkın) — depressed or submerged
  • Vietnamese: bị chìm — depressed or submerged
  • Welsh: suddedig — depressed or submerged
  • Welsh: tanddwr — depressed or submerged
  • Bulgarian: хлътнал (hlǎtnal) — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • German: eingefallen — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Hungarian: beesett — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Māori: mōroto — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Russian: впалый (vpalyj) — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Swedish: insjunken — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Turkish: batık — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Turkish: batkın — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.
  • Ottoman Turkish: باتقین (batkın) — of eyes or cheeks seeming to have fallen deeper back into the face.