gaunt /ɡɔːnt $ ɡɒːnt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Perhaps from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . very thin and pale, especially because of illness or continued worry SYN drawn :
the old man’s gaunt face
2 . literary a building, mountain etc that is gaunt looks very plain and unpleasant:
a gaunt cathedral
—gauntness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
■ person
▪ thin having little fat on your body:
a tall, thin man
▪ slim thin in an attractive way:
her slim figure
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a slim woman in her fifties
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Magazines are always full of advice about how to stay slim.
▪ slender written thin in an attractive and graceful way – used especially about parts of the body, and used especially about women:
her long, slender legs
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She is slender, with very fair hair.
▪ lean thin and looking healthy and fit:
his lean body
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He was lean and looked like a runner.
▪ skinny very thin in a way that is not attractive:
a skinny teenager
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Your arms are so skinny!
▪ slight written thin and delicate:
a small, slight girl with big eyes
▪ scrawny /ˈskrɔːni $ ˈskrɒː-/ very thin, small, and weak-looking:
a scrawny kid in blue jeans
▪ underweight below the usual weight for someone of your height, and therefore too thin:
He had no appetite and remained underweight.
▪ gaunt /ɡɔːnt $ ɡɒːnt/ written very thin and pale, especially because of illness or continued worry:
He looked gaunt and had not shaved for days.
▪ emaciated /ɪˈmeɪʃieɪtəd, ɪˈmeɪʃieɪtɪd, -si-/ written extremely thin and weak, because you are ill or not getting enough to eat:
The tents were filled with emaciated refugees.
▪ skeletal written used about someone who is so thin that you can see the shape of their bones:
The soldiers were shocked by the skeletal figures of the camp’s prisoners.
▪ anorexic used about someone who is extremely thin because they have a mental illness that makes them stop eating:
Her daughter is anorexic.
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anorexic teenagers