as in gaunt
suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease
the rescued hiker appeared haggard and worn after a week in the woods
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Recent Examples of haggard
Now, the film is a downright classic, centering on three haggard witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) who go on a hilarious misadventure while trying to remain young forever.
—
Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In addition to skiing excursions, the winter sports menu includes such trying activities as snow shoe walking, ice diving, and dog sledding—great backdrops in front of which drunken or haggard travelers can snip at each other.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2025
The scene makes Perkins crack up — Death looks tired and haggard, his job is never done (especially this week), and while the father-son may have escaped this round, their paths will cross in some unknowable way in the future.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
There’s a slight Francis Bacon aspect to them, poetic but at the same time incontrovertibly real, depicting every distorted limb, every haggard face and emaciated body, every wound and scar.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haggard
Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In addition to skiing excursions, the winter sports menu includes such trying activities as snow shoe walking, ice diving, and dog sledding—great backdrops in front of which drunken or haggard travelers can snip at each other.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2025
The scene makes Perkins crack up — Death looks tired and haggard, his job is never done (especially this week), and while the father-son may have escaped this round, their paths will cross in some unknowable way in the future.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
There’s a slight Francis Bacon aspect to them, poetic but at the same time incontrovertibly real, depicting every distorted limb, every haggard face and emaciated body, every wound and scar.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haggard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haggard
Adjective
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When supermodels ruled the runway, low-rise pants hugged our hips, everyone smoked cigarettes, grunge was a music genre and an aesthetic, and looking scrawny and gaunt was considered attractive.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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In late-stage chronic wasting disease, deer often appear emaciated and gaunt, Labonte said.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even with a visible chunk of brain, a missing nose, and a skeletal hand, Spear is still just a man trying to survive in a harsh environment where cruelty and slavery are the norm.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
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The digital portrait was created using AI and photo-editing techniques designed to translate skeletal and archaeological data into a realistic human likeness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Haggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haggard. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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