GAUNT Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

gaunt

adjective

ˈgȯnt

as in haggard

suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease a gaunt patient suffering from the side effects of treatment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gaunt contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gaunt are lanky, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than gaunt?

The words lank and gaunt are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When is it sensible to use lanky instead of gaunt?

In some situations, the words lanky and gaunt are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When could lean be used to replace gaunt?

While in some cases nearly identical to gaunt, lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

In what contexts can rawboned take the place of gaunt?

Although the words rawboned and gaunt have much in common, rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of gaunt?

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

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Where would spare be a reasonable alternative to gaunt?

The synonyms spare and gaunt are sometimes interchangeable, but spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gaunt Stripped of their leaves and bark, trees become gaunt skeletons. —

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024 He has been hospitalized while in prison -- once due to a hunger strike -- and his gaunt appearance during a 2023 video conference court hearing prompted Zelenskyy to summon the Georgian ambassador in Kyiv to complain. —

David Brennan, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2024 As the Sukkot meal began, Bitton received a string of grotesque photographs on his phone: closeups of a gaunt Palestinian man with sharp cheekbones, his mouth open, a plum-size bullet wound above the left eye. —

David Remnick, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024 After two years of being locked up and systematically abused by Arkham’s squad of guards led by Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), Arthur has become an unsmiling, even more gaunt shell of his former self. —

Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gaunt