sunken
adjective
sunk·en ˈsəŋ-kən 
1
: submerged
especially : lying at the bottom of a body of water
2
a
: hollow, recessed
sunken cheeks
b
: lying in a depression
a sunken garden
c
: settled below the normal level
d
: constructed below the normal floor level
a sunken living room
Synonyms
- concave
- dented
- depressed
- dished
- hollow
- indented
- recessed
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Her eyes were sunken and lifeless. our convalescing guest's sunken cheeks soon filled out on a diet of my mother's cooking
Recent Examples on the Web For many of its sunken fire pit projects, Legacy Landscapes, in Spokane, Wash., hauls in boulders of angular basalt, a prolific rock in the Pacific Northwest. 
Kathryn O’shea-evans, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 OceanGate, a commercial expedition group, took the footage this year and released a one-minute clip of the 8,000 resolution of the sunken British passenger liner. Phillip Nieto, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2022 USA Today reports multiple sets of human remains, dozens of sunken boats, trash, and baby strollers have been found on the edge of Lake Mead this summer as water levels sit at their lowest since the reservoir was first filled. The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2022 In late June, the drought exposed a sunken World War II barge resting on the bottom of the Po River in Italy. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Aug. 2022 Multiple sets of human remains, dozens of sunken boats, trash, and baby strollers have been found on the edge of the lake this summer as water levels sit at their lowest since the reservoir was first filled. Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2022 Visitors have come across everything from sunken boats to dead bodies. Kevin Simauchi, oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2022 Visitors have come across everything from sunken boats to dead bodies. Kevin Simauchi, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2022 Its primary bathroom features a large steam shower with sliding doors that open to a full outdoor shower alongside a sunken tub. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Kathryn O’shea-evans, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 OceanGate, a commercial expedition group, took the footage this year and released a one-minute clip of the 8,000 resolution of the sunken British passenger liner. Phillip Nieto, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2022 USA Today reports multiple sets of human remains, dozens of sunken boats, trash, and baby strollers have been found on the edge of Lake Mead this summer as water levels sit at their lowest since the reservoir was first filled. The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2022 In late June, the drought exposed a sunken World War II barge resting on the bottom of the Po River in Italy. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Aug. 2022 Multiple sets of human remains, dozens of sunken boats, trash, and baby strollers have been found on the edge of the lake this summer as water levels sit at their lowest since the reservoir was first filled. Celina Tebor, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2022 Visitors have come across everything from sunken boats to dead bodies. Kevin Simauchi, oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2022 Visitors have come across everything from sunken boats to dead bodies. Kevin Simauchi, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2022 Its primary bathroom features a large steam shower with sliding doors that open to a full outdoor shower alongside a sunken tub. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English sonkyn, past participle of sinken to sink
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
sunken
adjective
sunk·en ˈsəŋ-kən
1
: fallen in : hollow
Zero's face looked like a jack-o'-lantern … with sunken eyes and a drooping smile. Louis Sachar, Holes
Louis Sachar, Holes2
: lying at the bottom of a body of water
sunken ships
3
: built or settled below the surrounding or normal level
a sunken garden
sunken
adjective
1
as in concave
curved inward our convalescing guest's sunken cheeks soon filled out on a diet of my mother's cooking Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- concave
- hollow
- recessed
- depressed
- dimpled
- cupped
- indented
- dented
- cavernous
- dished
- compressed
- pockmarked
- reduced
- diminished
- crescentic
- alveolar
- recurved
- contracted
- cuplike
- condensed
- cuppy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- convex
- swollen
- protuberant
- enlarged
- bulbous
- risen
- puffy
- distended
- protruding
- bloated
- inflated
- domed
- projecting
- bulging
- extended
- blown up
- expanded
- cambered
- spherical
- rounded
- ballooning
- globular
- round
- protrusive
- puffed
- global
- jutting
2
as in underwater
living, lying, or occurring below the surface of the water diving for sunken treasure Synonyms & Similar Words
- underwater
- aquatic
- submerged
- submarine
- oceanic
- undersea
- deep
- deepwater
- abyssal
- abysmal
- deep-sea