gaunt

adjective

ˈgȯnt 

ˈgänt

1

: excessively thin and angular

a long gaunt face

2

: barren, desolate

gauntly adverb

gauntness noun

Synonyms

• cadaverous
• emaciated
• haggard
• skeletal
• wasted

Choose the Right Synonym for gaunt

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Examples of gaunt in a Sentence

He left the hospital looking tired and gaunt.

a gaunt factory on the edge of town

Recent Examples on the Web

The electric powertrain does add weight to Ariel's notoriously gaunt design, but the E-Nomad still ducks in under 1 ton with a 1,975-lb (896-kg) curb weight. —New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2024

In the video Yerushalmi appears gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024

His cheeks were gaunt, his red-rimmed eyes sat deep in their socket. —Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024

Card's ex-wife and son had reported their concerns about his paranoia and erratic behavior to police in May 2023, two months before fellow reservists encountered a gaunt Card in New York, where members of his unit were training West Point cadets. —David Sharp and Patrick Whittle The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gaunt

adjective

ˈgȯnt 

ˈgänt

1

: being thin and bony (as from hunger or suffering)

2

: grim and forbidding : barren, desolate

gaunt, leafless trees

gauntly adverb

gauntness noun