pall 1 of 2

1
as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body bearing her husband's pall were her four brothers and two nephews

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in cloud
an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom a persistent pall of distrust has overtaken this administration and will remain until the president resigns

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

pall

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pall different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of pall are cloy, glut, gorge, sate, satiate, and surfeit. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

When is it sensible to use cloy instead of pall?

While the synonyms cloy and pall are close in meaning, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

When might glut be a better fit than pall?

Although the words glut and pall have much in common, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

When is gorge a more appropriate choice than pall?

While in some cases nearly identical to pall, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

How are the words satiate and sate related as synonyms of pall?

Both satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

In what contexts can surfeit take the place of pall?

The meanings of surfeit and pall largely overlap; however, surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pall
Noun
The report and the subsequent reorganization cast a pall on the show, evaporating its famous party atmosphere. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025 That monologue really did cast a pall over the entire episode. Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
If there was no Venice, does that mean that the overall attraction of an Adriatic cruise would pall? Julia Buckley, CNN, 8 May 2021 Reduced to highlights and stripped of distinction, Percy’s adventures with Furies, oracles, Medusa, Ares and Hades quickly pall. Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2019 See all Example Sentences for pall 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pall
Noun
  • If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation's international image and standing.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Finally, a coffin was carried from the morgue and placed on the roof of a minivan, which had a photograph of the deceased fixed to the front bumper.
    Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • These particles spur the formation of more and brighter clouds, which help shield Earth from the sun.
    Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Workday — The cloud applications provider climbed 5.5% after announcing a restructuring plan expected to eliminate roughly 8.5% of the workforce.
    Pia Singh, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Smith’s hair was let down in loose waves, while a long veil rested on her head.
    Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
  • The sacred and the profane, religious devotion and sensuality, simmering passion shrouded in a veil of composure and silence —these dramatic contrasts have shaped their repertoire from the outset, nearly 40 years ago.
    Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Even so, Reynolds felt a connection and interest in the role that wouldn’t subside over the long development period.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Although rains are expected to subside Sunday evening into Monday, flash-flood and mudslide risks for the wildfire burn scar areas will persist through Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
    Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Easton had his wife’s body placed in an open casket.
    Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2025
  • The show struggles a bit in places to credibly evoke the relative innocence (or quiet oppression) of the 1970s and there are some moments of cluttered staging that just don’t work; as one example, a big gag involving kids hiding in a coffin kinda needs a casket to work.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The bodies were wrapped in shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them.
    Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Dec. 2024
  • All that’s peeking out from underneath its shroud is a toe tagged with the Westview Public Library card of stamped dates and a long lock of scarlet (get it?) hair.
    Caroline Framke, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2024
Verb
  • And so my part was always diminished in his presence.
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 Feb. 2025
  • The production of melanocytes (skin cells that synthesize melanin) diminishes, leading to the appearance of gray hair.
    Marie Courtois, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • In it, a small baby lies on a tomb of red velvet, her skin and dress a rocky gray (Eguiguren Arte de Hispanomérica, D10) and eye sockets blank, an icy contrast to the fresh roses and wildflowers with which she is adorned.
    Walker Mimms, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
  • On the thirteenth-century tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine, she is shown wide awake and reading, while her dull and kingly husband sleeps for all eternity.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near pall

Cite this Entry

“Pall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pall. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

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