etiolated
Pale from darkness
Etiolated describes plants that have grown pale and weak from lack of sunlight—stretched toward any available light, with spindly stems and yellowish leaves.
The word extends to people or things that seem similarly wan, underdeveloped, or enfeebled: an etiolated intellectual tradition, his etiolated complexion suggested months indoors.
Lacking color intensity
- wanPale and unwell-looking
- pallidUnhealthily lacking color
- ashenPale, grayish-white
- blanchedMade white by heat
bleached · colorless · whitened · faded · washed-out · sallow · ghostly · chalky
Suffering extreme hunger
- malnourishedLacking proper nutrition
- undernourishedInsufficiently nourished
- stuntedArrested in development
- underdevelopedInsufficiently grown or advanced
impoverished · deficient · wanting · lacking · deprived · atrophied · withered · wasted
Chlorophyll deficiency in plants
- spindlyThin and fragile-looking
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- blanchedMade white by heat
- leggyHaving lengthy limbs
yellowed · stretched · weakened · spindle-shaped · forced · tender · colorless · underdeveloped
Exhausted, overly refined
- decadentSelf-indulgent, often corruptly
- overrefinedExcessively cultivated or delicate
- rarefiedMade less dense
- preciousHighly esteemed, greatly valued
bloodless · vapid · insipid · anemic · thin · insubstantial · lifeless · spiritless
pale
Lacking color intensity
blanched · bleached · colorless · whitened · faded · washed-out · sallow · ghostly · chalky · drained
starved
Suffering extreme hunger
- malnourishedLacking proper nutrition
- undernourishedInsufficiently nourished
- stuntedArrested in development
underdeveloped · impoverished · deficient · wanting · lacking · deprived · atrophied · withered · wasted · shriveled
chlorosis
Chlorophyll deficiency in plants
leggy · yellowed · stretched · weakened · spindle-shaped · forced · tender · colorless · underdeveloped · lanky
effete
Exhausted, overly refined
- decadentSelf-indulgent, often corruptly
- overrefinedExcessively cultivated or delicate
- rarefiedMade less dense
precious · bloodless · vapid · insipid · anemic · thin · insubstantial · lifeless · spiritless · enervated
feeble
Weak and ineffective
- frailWeak and breakable
- enfeebledMade weak or feeble
- debilitatedMade weak or infirm
enervated · languid · delicate · sickly · ailing · fragile · infirm · attenuated · vitiated · devitalized
etiolatedverdant
Lush with plants
sun-kissed · colorful · colourful · vibrant · sun-drenched