pinched

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /pɪntʃt/ UK /pɪntʃt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
drawn and tense in appearance, especially from cold, hunger, or strain

Her pinched face betrayed how little she had eaten that week.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · drawn and tense in... drawn haggard gaunt tense strained wan careworn

Opposites

healthy plump relaxed ruddy

Word family

Related forms pinchpincher

Etymology

Past participle of pinch, from Anglo-Norman pincher ('to pinch, squeeze'); the adjectival sense describes a face drawn tight as if pinched by cold or hardship.

pincier Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# pinched

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /pɪntʃt/
**IPA (UK):** /pɪntʃt/

## Meanings
1. drawn and tense in appearance, especially from cold, hunger, or strain

## Examples
- Her pinched face betrayed how little she had eaten that week.

## Synonyms
- drawn
- haggard
- gaunt
- tense
- strained
- wan
- careworn

## Antonyms
- healthy
- plump
- relaxed
- ruddy

## Related Forms
- pinch
- pincher

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pincier

## Etymology
Past participle of pinch, from Anglo-Norman pincher ('to pinch, squeeze'); the adjectival sense describes a face drawn tight as if pinched by cold or hardship.

## AI Etymology
Pinched is the past participle of pinch, from Anglo-Norman pincher ('to pinch, squeeze'); the adjectival sense describes a face drawn tight as if pinched by cold or hardship. Important recorded forms include pincier (Old French). Morphologically, the ending or combining element turns the older base into the present English part of speech. The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers drawn and tense in appearance, especially from cold, hunger, or strain. The wider family includes related words such as pinch and pincher.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown