gaunt

1 of 2

adjective

ˈgȯnt 

ˈgänt

1

: excessively thin and angular

a long gaunt face

2

: barren, desolate

gauntly adverb

gauntness noun

gauntly

2 of 2

adverb

gaunt·​ly

sometimes -er/-est

: in a gaunt manner : with a gaunt appearance

Synonyms of gaunt

Adjective

• haggard
• skeletal

Choose the Right Synonym for gaunt

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

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

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Examples of gaunt in a Sentence

Adjective

He left the hospital looking tired and gaunt.

a gaunt factory on the edge of town

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

On the first day of the hearing, July 22, Salah Sarsour's brother, Mohammad Sarsour, testified that his brother appeared gaunt and dirty and complained of pain and inadequate medical care during his detention in an Israeli jail. — CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

In Roman art, invidia is sometimes depicted as a gaunt Medusa-like figure with serpents for hair. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Perennially frail, sick, and gaunt, the ambient guitar composer had devoted his life to a sprawling catalog, some 40 albums wide, that resembles a matchstick model of paradise. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026

The church’s punishment, however, delivered in front of the congregants, is an eerie ritual performed by a gaunt, severe visitor (Nicholas Hope). — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gaunt

• daunt
• flaunt
• font
• haunt
• jaunt
• pont
• taunt
• vaunt
• want
• avant
• croissant
• detente

Kids Definition

gaunt

adjective

ˈgȯnt 

ˈgänt

1

: being thin and bony (as from hunger or suffering)

2

: grim and forbidding : barren, desolate

gaunt, leafless trees

gauntly adverb

gauntness noun