1. in a wan manner; palely, weakly, or with little color or vitality

Examples

• She smiled wanly after hearing the disappointing news.
• The patient looked wanly at the doctor from his hospital bed.
• The morning sun shone wanly through the thick clouds.
• He waved wanly goodbye as the train pulled away.
• The flowers bloomed wanly in the poor soil.
• She laughed wanly at the joke, clearly not finding it funny.