sunken

sunken — adjective

1. describes something that has gone beneath the surface of a sea, lake, or river a

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes something that has gone beneath the surface of a sea, lake, or river and now rests at the bottom

Example

The divers found the wreck of a sunken ship off the coast of Spain.

sunken + ship (typical collocation)

After the storm, a sunken fishing boat was spotted by a passing helicopter.

Common collocations
  • sunken ship
  • sunken treasure
  • sunken vessel
  • sunken wreck
  • sunken boat
  • sunken submarine
Synonyms
  • submerged

    focuses on being fully covered by water, often intentionally or temporarily rather than wrecked

  • underwater

    neutral positional term; can describe anything located below the water's surface without the sense of having fallen

  • wrecked

    emphasises damage or destruction rather than the position at the bottom

Antonyms
  • afloat

    floating on the water's surface

Grammar Patterns

sunken + noun

be + sunken

Usage Note

Most frequent with nouns describing vessels and cargo — ship, boat, submarine, treasure, wreck. The word emphasises the final position at the bottom rather than the process of going under.

Common Mistakes

The boat sunken near the island.
The boat sank near the island.
'Sunken' is an adjective; use 'sank' (past tense) or 'sunk' (past participle) as the verb form.
A sunken submarine patrols the Arctic waters.
A submerged submarine patrols the Arctic waters.
'Sunken' means the vessel rests at the bottom; a working submarine is 'submerged.'

2. built or placed at a depth that is below the surrounding ground or floor level

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

built or placed at a depth that is below the surrounding ground or floor level

Example

The hotel has a beautiful sunken garden with roses and a small fountain.

sunken + garden (common collocation)

Minho's apartment features a sunken living room three steps below the kitchen.

sunken + living room

Common collocations
  • sunken garden
  • sunken living room
  • sunken bathtub
  • sunken fireplace
  • sunken entrance
Synonyms
  • recessed

    more general; describes anything set back or indented, not only architectural spaces

  • lowered

    focuses on the act of being put at a lower level rather than the built-in design

  • depressed

    technical or formal; common in geology but less natural for rooms or gardens

Antonyms
  • raised

    built above the surrounding surface

Grammar Patterns

sunken + noun (architectural feature)

be + sunken

Usage Note

Frequently modifies architectural terms (garden, room, bath, fireplace, entrance) where the floor or ground is deliberately placed lower than the surrounding surface. Not applied to natural depressions like valleys or ditches.

Common Mistakes

We walked through a sunken valley between two hills.
We walked through a valley between two hills.
'Sunken' is for man-made or designed spaces at a lower level, not for natural landscape features.

3. appearing pressed deeper into the face than usual, often from being very tired,

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

appearing pressed deeper into the face than usual, often from being very tired, sick, or older

Example

After three nights without sleep, Mira's eyes were sunken and dark.

sunken eyes (due to tiredness)

The old man's sunken cheeks gave his face a hollow, tired expression.

Common collocations
  • sunken eyes
  • sunken cheeks
  • sunken face
  • sunken look
  • sunken appearance
Synonyms
  • hollow

    similar meaning but broader in usage; can describe any inward curve, not just the face

  • deep-set

    specifically for eyes that are naturally placed far back in the skull, not due to tiredness or illness

  • gaunt

    describes a thin, bony face with sunken cheeks, often from hunger or suffering

Antonyms
  • full

    describes cheeks or a face with healthy roundness

  • puffy

    swollen rather than hollow

Grammar Patterns

sunken + eyes / cheeks

be + sunken

Usage Note

Restricted to describing eyes, cheeks, or the face as a whole. Does not apply to other hollow features on the body such as dimples or scars, nor to inanimate objects with indentations.

Common Mistakes

He had sunken dimples when he smiled.
He had deep dimples when he smiled.
'Sunken' is used for unhealthy or tired hollows, not for normal facial features.

Word family

  • sink
    verbA2
  • sinking
    adjectiveB1
  • sunk
    verbB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Sunken, submerged, and underwater all describe something beneath the surface of water, but with different emphases. Sunken stresses that something has fallen or been placed at the bottom and remains there — a sunken ship has gone down and lies on the sea floor. Submerged focuses on being fully covered by water, often deliberately or temporarily: a working submarine is submerged, not sunken. Underwater is a neutral positional term for anything located or happening below the water's surface, without implying that it has fallen (e.g. an underwater camera, an underwater cave). Wrecked adds the idea of damage or destruction but does not specify location — a ship can be wrecked on rocks above the water. Choose sunken when you want to emphasise the final resting place at the bottom, submerged for intentional coverage by water, and underwater as a general descriptor of location.

submergedunderwater ↗wrecked

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • partially sunken
  • half-sunken
  • deeply sunken
  • slightly sunken

Phrases

  • a sunken + noun
  • with sunken ...

Prepositions

  • sunken in
  • sunken into
  • sunken beneath
  • sunken below

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Sunken originated as an archaic past-participle form of the verb sink, which comes from Old English sincan (to become submerged or go down). In Middle English, both sunk and sunken were used as past participles, but over time sunk took the verbal role while sunken became fixed as an adjective describing the resulting state.