tanned

IPA/tænd/
KK[tˈænd]IPA/tænd/

tanned — verb

  • tannedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • tanneds3rd person singular
  • tanneding-ing form
  • tannededpast simple

1. past simple and past participle of tan

1.verbA2
Definition

past simple and past participle of tan

Example

Ryo tanned his back on the hotel roof while listening to music.

tanned [body part] — direct object of the sunbathing action

Amelia had tanned so deeply that her friends barely recognised her at the airport.

had tanned + adverb — past perfect describing a state achieved before another event

Usage Note

This is the inflected form of the base verb TAN. See the main entry for TAN for all verb senses, grammar patterns, and the leather-processing meaning.

Common Mistakes

He has tan his shoulders.
He has tanned his shoulders.
the past participle form must be 'tanned' after 'has', not the base form 'tan'.

tanned — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe skin that has changed colour from sun exposure, but they differ in connotation and usage. "Tanned" is the most neutral and widely used term — it simply states the fact of brown skin from the sun. "Bronzed" carries a complimentary, almost glamorous tone, suggesting a rich golden-brown colour that is admired (e.g., "her bronzed legs glowed in the evening light"). "Suntanned" is a slightly longer, more explicit form of "tanned" and is common in descriptions ("suntanned tourists") but less frequent in casual speech. "Sun-kissed" is informal and romantic, implying a light, attractive tan rather than deep brown skin — it is often used in advertising and beauty writing. "Browned" is more general and can describe cooking as well; when used for skin it sounds less intentional than "tanned" (e.g., "his face was browned by years of outdoor work").

bronzed ↗suntanned ↗sun-kissed ↗browned ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • deeply tanned
  • beautifully tanned
  • perfectly tanned
  • lightly tanned

Prepositions

  • tanned from [sun/beach]

Etymology

CelticMedieval LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word "tanned" comes from the verb "tan", which entered English from Old French "tanner" (to convert hide into leather), from Medieval Latin "tannare", probably from a Celtic root meaning 'oak' (used in the tanning process). The meaning shifted to skin darkening from the sun in the early 1700s. As an adjective, "tanned" developed naturally from the past participle — first used to describe leather that had been processed, and later extended to describe sun-browned human skin.