emaciated

adjective

ema·​ci·​at·​ed i-ˈmā-shē-ˌā-təd  -ˈmā-sē- 

: very thin and feeble especially from lack of nutrition or illness

He was deadly pale and terribly emaciated, with the protruding, brilliant eyes of a man whose spirit was greater than his strength.

—Arthur Conan Doyle

My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement.

—Mary Shelley

Synonyms

• cadaverous
• gaunt
• haggard
• skeletal
• wasted

Examples of emaciated in a Sentence

the emaciated bodies of the survivors of the concentration camps

Recent Examples on the Web

The two women were later charged with felony child abuse in August 2023 after a neighbor called 911 to report that Franke’s emaciated son knocked at his door asking for help. —Christine Pelisek, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The women were arrested on child abuse charges after Ruby Franke's emaciated 12-year-old son Russell escaped through a window and knocked on a neighbor's door. —CBS News, 26 Mar. 2025

In ensuing months, emaciated Cambodian refugees began to surface at the border with Thailand. —Ray Cavanaugh, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025

Once inside, police came across a second emaciated dog. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emaciated

• abbreviated
• accelerated
• accentuated
• accommodated
• acculturated
• accumulated
• acidulated
• adjudicated
• administrated
• adulterated
• affiliated
• agglomerated