whitehaired

Whitehaired is an adjective used to describe someone or something that has hair that is white or predominantly white. The form is commonly hyphenated as white-haired, but whitehaired can appear in texts as an unhyphenated variant and may occur as a surname or in branding.

In humans, white hair most often results from aging, when pigment-producing cells in hair follicles decline and stop producing pigment. As pigment fades, hair becomes gray and may eventually appear white. The age at which this occurs varies and is influenced by genetics, with some individuals starting to gray early and others retaining their natural color longer. Distinctions are made between gray hair (a mix of pigmented and nonpigmented strands) and white hair (little or no pigment).

Other factors can contribute to white hair or hair that appears white, including certain medical conditions (such as vitiligo), chemotherapy or radiation therapy, nutritional deficiencies, and exposure to specific chemicals. In nonhuman contexts, "white-haired" is used descriptively for animals or plants that exhibit white fur, hair, or pubescence.

Culturally and linguistically, white-haired characters or figures are often associated with age, wisdom, experience, or authority in literature and media, though the term itself is descriptive rather than evaluative. Variants in spelling exist, with "white-haired" being standard in many contexts, while "whitehaired" may appear in titles, captions, or as a proper noun.