Wax vs. Waxen — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 21, 2024
"Wax" refers to a substance, typically organic, used in various products like candles and polishes, while "waxen" is an adjective describing something that resembles or is covered in wax.
Difference Between Wax and Waxen
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Wax is a versatile material derived from natural sources like beeswax or created synthetically, used in diverse applications such as candle making and cosmetics. In contrast, waxen is used to describe surfaces or complexions that appear smooth, pale, and somewhat shiny, akin to wax.
Products like candles and crayons are often made of wax, which can be molded when warm and solidifies upon cooling. Whereas, describing an object as waxen implies a certain texture or finish that might be seen in figurative language to describe skin or artistic materials.
The physical properties of wax include being water-repellent, malleable at higher temperatures, and solid at room temperature, making it ideal for various protective coatings. On the other hand, the term waxen usually connotes a soft, smooth texture that visually or tactually resembles wax.
In commercial and industrial contexts, wax is used for its sealing and protective qualities, such as in polishes and coatings. Conversely, waxen could be used in literature or description to evoke a particular quality of delicacy or artificiality.
While wax has practical and widespread uses in everyday products, the adjective waxen might be used more sparingly, often in artistic or literary contexts to enhance descriptive imagery, such as a "waxen complexion" or "waxen leaves."
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A substance used for making candles, seals, polishes, etc.
Adjective describing something that resembles wax.
Uses
Candles, cosmetics, polishes, sealing.
Descriptive, often in literature or art.
Physical Properties
Malleable at high temperatures, solidifies at room temperature.
Implies smoothness, paleness, and glossiness.
Context of Use
Industrial, commercial, domestic.
Literary, artistic.
Connotation
Practicality and versatility.
Delicacy, sometimes artificiality.
Compare with Definitions
Wax
A substance with protective and sealing properties, often used in candles.
She used beeswax to make natural candles.
Waxen
Describing something that resembles wax, especially in texture or appearance.
Her hands were cold and waxen.
Wax
A malleable, water-resistant material used in various forms in industrial applications.
The wax coating on the car helped protect its paint from the rain.
Waxen
Often used in literature to convey a delicate or unnatural quality.
He described the figure in the painting as having a waxen complexion.
Wax
Used for making impressions or seals, historically significant in document authentication.
They sealed the letter with red wax.
Waxen
Can imply an eeriness or lifelessness when used to describe a person.
The illness left her face waxen and drawn.
Wax
A base component in cosmetics, particularly in lipsticks and balms.
The lipstick contains wax that gives it a smooth, durable finish.
Waxen
Refers to something covered with or treated with wax.
The waxen leaves of the plant repelled water.
Wax
A natural or synthetic substance that is moldable when heated.
The sculptor used wax to create the initial model of the statue.
Waxen
Used to describe a pale, smooth, and slightly shiny appearance.
The moon cast a waxen glow on the water.
Wax
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low viscosity liquids.
Waxen
Made of or covered with wax.
Wax
A sticky yellowish mouldable substance secreted by honeybees as the material of a honeycomb; beeswax.
Waxen
Pale or smooth as wax
Waxen skin.
Wax
Used in reference to records
He didn't get on wax until 1959
Waxen
Weak, pliable, or impressionable
Waxen minds.
Wax
A fit of anger
She is in a wax about the delay to the wedding
Waxen
Grown.
Wax
Cover or treat (something) with wax or a similar substance, typically to polish or protect it
I washed and waxed the floor
Waxen
Made of wax; covered with wax.
A waxen tablet
Wax
Make a recording of
He waxed a series of tracks that emphasized his lead guitar work
Waxen
Of or pertaining to wax.
Wax
(of the moon between new and full) have a progressively larger part of its visible surface illuminated, increasing its apparent size.
Waxen
Having the pale smooth characteristics of wax, waxlike, waxy.
Wax
Begin to speak or write about something in the specified manner
They waxed lyrical about the old days
Waxen
(rare) Easily effaced, as if written in wax.
Wax
Any of various natural, oily or greasy heat-sensitive substances, consisting of hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents.
Waxen
Made of wax.
Wax
Beeswax.
Waxen
Covered with wax; waxed; as, a waxen tablet.
Wax
Earwax.
Waxen
Resembling wax; waxy; hence, soft; yielding.
Men have marble, women waxen, minds.
Wax
A solid plastic or pliable liquid substance, such as ozocerite or paraffin, originating from petroleum and found in rock layers and used in paper coating, as insulation, in crayons, and often in medicinal preparations.
Waxen
Made of or covered with wax;
Waxen candles
Careful, the floor is waxy
Wax
A preparation containing wax used for polishing floors and other surfaces.
Waxen
Having the paleness of wax;
The poor face with the same awful waxen pallor
The soldier turned his waxlike features toward him
A thin face with a waxy paleness
Wax
A resinous mixture used by shoemakers to rub on thread.
Wax
A cosmetic procedure in which facial or body hair is removed by peeling away a layer of wax that has been allowed to harden.
Wax
A fit of anger
"All at once you would suddenly find yourself reverting to childish attitudes, flaring up in a wax with some fellow" (Frank O'Connor).
Wax
Made of wax
A wax candle.
Wax
To coat, treat, or polish with wax.
Wax
To remove (facial or body hair) by covering the skin with a layer of wax that is peeled off after hardening, uprooting the encased hairs.
Wax
To remove hair from (a portion of the body) by this method.
Wax
To increase gradually in size, number, strength, or intensity
“His love affair with Mrs. Bernstein waxed and waned and waxed again” (C. Hugh Holman).
Wax
To show a progressively larger illuminated area, as the moon does in passing from new to full.
Wax
To grow or become as specified
“His very body had waxed old in lowly service of the Lord” (James Joyce).
Wax
To speak or write as specified
“[He] warmed to his most favorite of subjects, waxed eloquent, gained in his face a glow of passion” (Paul J. Willis).
Wax
Beeswax.
Wax
Earwax.
What role does the wax in your earhole fulfill?
Wax
Any oily, water-resistant, solid or semisolid substance; normally long-chain hydrocarbons, alcohols or esters.
Wax
Any preparation containing wax, used as a polish.
Wax
The phonograph record format for music.
Wax
A thick syrup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple and then cooling it.
Wax
A type of drugs with as main ingredients weed oil and butane; hash oil.
Wax
(rare) The process of growing.
Wax
An outburst of anger, a loss of temper, a fit of rage.
Wax
Made of wax.
Wax
(transitive) To apply wax to (something, such as a shoe, a floor, a car, or an apple), usually to make it shiny.
Wax
(transitive) To remove hair at the roots from (a part of the body) by coating the skin with a film of wax that is then pulled away sharply.
Wax
To defeat utterly.
Wax
To kill, especially to murder a person.
Wax
To record.
Wax
To increasingly assume the specified characteristic.
To wax eloquent
Wax
To grow.
Wax
To appear larger each night as a progression from a new moon to a full moon.
Wax
To move from low tide to high tide.
Wax
To increase in size; to grow bigger; to become larger or fuller; - opposed to wane.
The waxing and the waning of the moon.
Truth's treasures . . . never shall wax ne wane.
Wax
To pass from one state to another; to become; to grow; as, to wax strong; to wax warmer or colder; to wax feeble; to wax old; to wax worse and worse.
Your clothes are not waxen old upon you.
Where young Adonis oft reposes,Waxing well of his deep wound.
Wax
To smear or rub with wax; to treat with wax; as, to wax a thread or a table.
Wax
A fatty, solid substance, produced by bees, and employed by them in the construction of their comb; - usually called beeswax. It is first excreted, from a row of pouches along their sides, in the form of scales, which, being masticated and mixed with saliva, become whitened and tenacious. Its natural color is pale or dull yellow.
Wax
Hence, any substance resembling beeswax in consistency or appearance.
Wax
Cerumen, or earwax.
Wax
A waxlike composition used for uniting surfaces, for excluding air, and for other purposes; as, sealing wax, grafting wax, etching wax, etc.
Wax
A waxlike composition used by shoemakers for rubbing their thread.
Wax
A substance similar to beeswax, secreted by several species of scale insects, as the Chinese wax. See Wax insect, below.
Wax
A waxlike product secreted by certain plants. See Vegetable wax, under Vegetable.
Wax
A substance, somewhat resembling wax, found in connection with certain deposits of rock salt and coal; - called also mineral wax, and ozocerite.
Wax
Thick sirup made by boiling down the sap of the sugar maple, and then cooling.
Wax
Any of numerous substances or mixtures composed predominantly of the longer-chain saturated hydrocarbons such as the paraffins, which are solid at room teperature, or their alcohol, carboxylic acid, or ester derivatives.
Wax
Any of various substances of either mineral origin or plant or animal origin; they are solid at normal temperatures and insoluble in water
Wax
Cover with wax;
Wax the car
Wax
Go up or advance;
Sales were climbing after prices were lowered
Wax
Increase in phase;
The moon is waxing
Common Curiosities
Can both wax and waxen refer to surfaces?
Yes, wax can physically coat a surface, while waxen can describe the appearance or quality of a surface.
Is there a difference in the durability of natural vs. synthetic waxes?
Yes, the durability can vary; natural waxes like beeswax are generally softer and less durable than synthetic waxes like paraffin, which are often used for their robust properties.
What is wax made of?
Wax can be made from natural sources like beeswax or paraffin, which is derived from petroleum.
How is wax used commercially?
Wax is used in a variety of commercial products, including candles, polishes, cosmetics, and as a coating for cheeses and other perishables.
Is waxen used to describe only physical appearances?
While often used to describe physical appearances, waxen can also imply certain qualities like artificiality or delicacy in literary contexts.
Why would someone describe a complexion as waxen?
A complexion might be described as waxen to emphasize paleness, smoothness, and a lifeless or delicate appearance, often in literary contexts.
What does waxen mean?
Waxen is an adjective that describes something having a smooth, pale, glossy appearance similar to wax.
Are there any health concerns associated with handling wax?
Handling wax is generally safe, though burning wax candles can release chemicals, and overheating wax, especially in enclosed spaces, should be done with proper ventilation.
What are the common types of wax?
Common types of wax include beeswax, paraffin wax, soy wax, and carnauba wax, each with distinct properties and uses in various industries.
How is wax applied to surfaces in industrial settings?
In industrial settings, wax is typically applied by melting and coating, spraying, or dipping, depending on the object and desired thickness of the wax layer.
Does the term "waxen" have any historical significance?
Historically, "waxen" has been used to describe candles and other objects made of wax, reflecting the material's importance in everyday life before the advent of electric lighting.
Can wax be used in food products?
Yes, wax is used in food products, mainly as a coating to preserve freshness and improve appearance, especially in fruits and cheese.
Can waxen be used in a positive connotation?
Yes, in some contexts, waxen can be used positively, particularly when describing objects or artworks where a smooth, polished appearance is desirable.
What literary works feature the use of the term "waxen"?
The term "waxen" is often used in poetry and descriptive prose to evoke a particular visual or emotional effect, such as in works by Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare.
How does the environmental impact of using wax compare to other materials?
The environmental impact of wax varies by type; for example, soy wax is considered more eco-friendly than paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
