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 of emaciated

• gaunt
• haggard
• skeletal

Examples of emaciated in a Sentence

the emaciated bodies of the survivors of the concentration camps

Recent Examples on the Web

Medical personnel found bruises and scarring on Nix’s body, and also noted that the child was emaciated, officials said. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025

The images of emaciated survivors and bodies piled up, dozens of them pushed on top of one another by a bulldozer, have lost none of their shocking horror 80 years later. —NPR, 11 Nov. 2025

Given how emaciated and unwell the kitten was, Neveux couldn’t help but fear the worst. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

Now free, Alma’s emaciated, adult form wanders the world, unending rage bent on revenge. —Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 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