Sallow describes skin that looks unhealthy, with a yellowish or sickly pale color. When someone is very ill or hasn't been outside in fresh air for a long time, their complexion might turn sallow. Think of how someone looks after being sick with the flu for a week: their skin loses its healthy glow and takes on a tired, slightly yellow tinge.

Writers often use this word to show that a character is unwell or has been living in poor conditions. In Charles Dickens's novels, factory workers who labored indoors for long hours often had sallow faces from lack of sunlight and fresh air. If you've ever noticed how pale and washed-out someone looks after staying inside studying or gaming for days, that's heading toward sallow.

It describes a specific kind of unhealthy paleness with a yellowish quality. A person with naturally fair skin isn't sallow, but that same person might develop a sallow complexion after a serious illness. The word helps readers picture exactly what kind of unhealthy a person looks, which makes it a precise and powerful choice for description.