Meaning & use
gaunt
Extremely thin and bony in appearance, especially from illness, hunger, or exhaustion.
See it in a sentence
The survivors looked gaunt and hollow-eyed after weeks stranded without proper food.
Illness left him gaunt, his cheeks sunken and his clothes hanging loosely.
A note on using this word
Gaunt often implies suffering or hardship behind the thinness, unlike slender or lean, which are neutral or positive.
Words with a similar meaning
haggardemaciated
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
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