There was a wanness, a heaviness of aspect, that made him look ten years older.
"Lover or Friend"
Rosa Nouchette Carey
Every hair of his head and beard, every wrinkle of his face, the wanness of his features, and the slightly wearied look he wore, were all imparting intelligence to me-the knowledge I craved for so much ever since I heard the words, "Take what you want, but find Livingstone."
"How I Found Livingstone"
Sir Henry M. Stanley
Dark and hushed, the river flowed sullenly on, save where the reflected stars made a tremulous and broken beam on the black surface of the water, or the lights of the vast City, which lay in shadow on its banks, scattered at capricious intervals a pale but unpiercing wanness rather than lustre along the tide, or save where the stillness was occasionally broken by the faint oar of the boatman or the call of his rude voice, mellowed almost into music by distance and the element.
"The Disowned, Complete"
Edward Bulwer-Lytton