waxen
waxen Lexical Profile
waxen Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a smooth, pale, or translucent appearance resembling wax, especially in reference to human skin or complexion.
"After weeks of illness, the patient had a pale, waxen complexion that worried the doctors."
Made of, covered with, or consisting of wax.
"The ancient letter was secured with a heavy waxen seal bearing the royal crest."
Easily influenced, impressionable, or malleable, as if made of soft wax.
"The speaker sought to mold the waxen minds of his young and impressionable audience."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'waxy' is the standard everyday adjective for things having the texture or coating of wax, 'waxen' is primarily literary and most commonly describes a pale, smooth, translucent complexion.
• Rhymes for waxen
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'weaxen', meaning 'made of wax', formed from 'weax' (wax) and the suffix '-en' denoting material composition.