pallor means unnatural paleness, especially as a sign of sickness or distress. It carries an Arena rating of 1520, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pallor ranks #143 of 25,264 for Qualifying, #2,317 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
pallor is pronounced /ˈpælɚ/.
Why “pallor” is a great word
An unnatural paleness of the skin, especially as a sign of sickness, fear, or distress. From Middle English *pallour*, from Old French *palor* ("paleness, pallor"), from Latin *pallor* ("paleness"), from *pallēre* ("to be pale"). Unlike "fairness," which denotes a light but healthy, natural complexion, or the general and less common "pallidness," pallor is specific and diagnostic, a flag of distress raised by the body. It is the sickly hue of moonlight on a fevered brow, the blanched wax of a face receiving dreadful news, the ash-grey tone of a hand held against a candle’s flame—a silent, corporeal language announcing that something within has been drained away.
Etymology
From Middle English pallour, from Old French palor (“paleness, pallor”), from Latin pallor, from palleō (“to look pale, blanch”).
noun
- Unnatural paleness, especially as a sign of sickness or distress.“pallor of the complexion”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- languish 83% match — To lose strength and become weak; to be in a state of weakness or sickness. vs pallor →
- etiolate 82% match — To make pale through lack of light, especially of a plant. vs pallor →
- despairing 82% match — Feeling, expressing, or caused by despair; hopeless. vs pallor →
- dismay 82% match — To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy. vs pallor →
- countenance 81% match — Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face. vs pallor →
- languor 81% match — A state of the body or mind caused by exhaustion or disease and characterized by a languid or weary feeling; lassitude; (countable) an instance of this. vs pallor →
- malaise 81% match — A feeling of general bodily discomfort, fatigue or unpleasantness, often at the onset of illness. vs pallor →
- cowardice 81% match — Lack of courage. vs pallor →