complexion
noun /kəmˈplekʃn/
/kəmˈplekʃn/
Idioms - the natural colour and condition of the skin on a person’s face
- a pale/bad complexion
Collocations Physical appearancePhysical appearance- A person may be described as having:
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/(informal) shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a hooked/a Roman/(formal) an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide/sloping forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy/goatee beard
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil moustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/little/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/(British English) ginger/grey hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/centre(British English) parting
- a long/short/thick/slender/(disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/(both informal, often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/(informal, disapproving) flabby thighs
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/a slim/a slender/an hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
Extra ExamplesTopics Appearancec2- Years of heavy drinking had given Alison a florid complexion.
- a young girl with a rosy complexion
- Her auburn hair and blue eyes, together with a fine complexion, made her extremely attractive.
- a dark/healthy complexion
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- beautiful
- clear
- flawless
- …
- have
- give somebody
- [usually singular] the general character of something
- a move that changed the political complexion of the country
Extra Examples- a change in the political complexion of the council
- Hughes helped change the complexion of Hollywood.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- different
- new
- political
- …
- put
- take on
- change
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin complexio(n-) ‘combination’ (in late Latin ‘physical constitution’), from complectere ‘embrace, comprise’. The term originally denoted physical constitution or temperament determined by the combination of the four bodily humours; sense (1) (late 16th cent.) being a visible sign of this.
Idioms
put a new/different complexion on something
- to change the way that a situation appears
- What you have told us puts a different complexion on the situation.
- The joke took on a rather serious complexion when the police became involved.