wan

Our mother did reappear, looking wan and smiling bravely, and we had to pretend that she was fine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

“We watched them install it one night. It’s not like they talk to us or ask us for permission,” he said, a wan smile on his face.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

If you were not eating meat in the 1990s and early 2000s, you might harbor painful memories of the wan, wet vegan dogs of yesteryear.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2024

But this show is too slight, too wan, to bear the weight of analytical dissection.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2024

I’d given Barack’s decision to run a wan blessing, adopting a let’s-just-get-this-out-of-the-way attitude about the whole thing.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

But if the orchestrations, by Mr. Kitt and Michael Starobin, are atypically wan, Mr. Kitt’s lyrics are even wanner.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2019

Says one Bostonian who knows her well: "There isn't anyone wanner or dearer, when she's feeling good."

From Time Magazine Archive

Carl's entrances into the Coliseum may have been slightly louder, but Edwin's were appreciably wanner.

From Time Magazine Archive

When she was out in the drizzle, however, Her Majesty's smile grew wanner and wanner, and sometimes disappeared.

From Time Magazine Archive

A makeshift signal flag—a red knitted leg wanner of the sort worn by dancers— was knotted to the end of an alder branch by the vehicle's rear exit.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Their conduct merits our wannest esteem; and I beg leave to add, that I think the public will do well to make them a handsome gratuity.

From The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 by Jules-Ferdinand Jacquemart

She was dressed in her grey uniform and sheltered under her cape the thinnest, wannest mite of humanity that ever the Club had seen outside of the streets of a city slum.

From Ethel Morton and the Christmas Ship by Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke) Smith

To get the two hundred pounds required to pay off the mortgage upon 'Bachelors' Hall,' Clare addressed himself first to Lord Radstock, whom he looked upon as one of his wannest and most sincere friends.

From The Life of John Clare by Frederick Martin

In many a laboured scene of the wannest humour and of the most affecting passion I have seen the best actors disconcerted, while these buzzing muscatos have been fluttering round their eyes and ears.

From The Palmy Days of Nance Oldfield by Edward Robins

At these words there was a general smile even on the wannest and most pain-pinched face, for they struck the men as very droll.

From Miss Lou by Edward Payson Roe

Not precisely royal fare, but nourishing; it tasted good enough and wanned the belly.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Around noon, when the air had wanned, Frightful gave the little eyas the last bites of the rat.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Mademoiselle was poking at a rusty stove that smoked a little and wanned the room indifferently.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Once the imagination is stirred and the emotions wanned by this instruction, an immediate and natural outlet in expression must be found if these lessons are to fulfill their end.

From How to Teach Religion Principles and Methods by George Herbert Betts

A strangely genial smile wanned and brightened his usually grave cold face, and certainly at that moment Erle Palma showed one aspect of his nature never exhibited before to any human being.

From Infelice by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans

Stark Young takes a view of art which is wanning to those tired of abstruse and cerebral esthetics.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a French sportwriter just wanning up to the famed Tour de France, the month-long bicycle race that attracts the world's largest crowds.

From Time Magazine Archive

It had a slim chance of wanning its fight.

From Time Magazine Archive

She sat holding it in her hand, while the music penetrated her whole being like an effulgence, wanning and brightening the dark places of her soul.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

“So I work for a relief agency,” she said, wanning up.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee