Swarthy describes someone with dark or olive-toned skin and often dark hair. The word usually refers to a person's natural complexion rather than a suntan. You might describe someone from the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, or South Asia as swarthy, though people of many backgrounds can have this coloring.

The word carries a slightly old-fashioned feeling, like something from an adventure novel describing a mysterious stranger or a sea captain. Writers often used swarthy to create a sense of exoticism or intrigue: “The swarthy pirate stood at the ship's helm.” Today, people use it less frequently, partly because it can sound outdated and partly because we have more specific ways to describe someone's appearance.

When you encounter swarthy in older books or stories, it's describing someone's darker complexion, though the word sometimes came with stereotypes about that person being foreign, dangerous, or adventurous. Modern writers tend to describe people's appearances more precisely and neutrally, but understanding swarthy helps you appreciate classic literature where it appears frequently.