EMACIATED Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

emaciated 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈmā-shē-ˌā-təd

Definition of emaciated

as in gaunt

suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease the emaciated bodies of the survivors of the concentration camps

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

emaciated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of emaciate

as in faded

to lose bodily strength or vigor without adequate medical supplies, doctors could only look on helplessly as cholera victims continued to emaciate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of emaciated

Adjective

Out of 10 sloths that arrived from Peru in February 2025, two were dead on arrival, and the remainder were emaciated and in very poor health, the report stated. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 6 May 2026 An emaciated manatee calf was rescued on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Florida Keys on Tuesday and sent to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026 People with eating disorders would share their experiences as a way of motivating others to achieve extreme body standards through imagery of emaciated bodies. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 5 May 2026 In late-stage chronic wasting disease, deer often appear emaciated and gaunt, Labonte said. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for emaciated

Recent Examples of Synonyms for emaciated

Adjective

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
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of gaunt

Verb

As impact heating faded, the upper mantle cooled, and the once-thin basaltic crust thickened.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026
On Saturday night, the visibility faded to a point where the old-school scoreboard above the center-field bleachers could not be seen from the press box high atop the Friendly Confines.

— Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of faded

Adjective

Rocking back and forth nervously during a television appearance, a haggard-looking Diaz-Canel acknowledged the same talks, which his government had denied were taking place just days before.

— Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Wrexham, meanwhile, was near the bottom, struggling in England’s lowest division under a haggard fan-ownership group keeping it on life support.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of haggard

Verb

Some frogs may have been sleeping, weakened, injured, or otherwise compromised before being captured.

— Jay Kakade July 13, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
Most people who are exposed to Legionella bacteria don’t get sick at all, but vulnerable groups can include people who are over 50, who vape or smoke, or who have weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions like diabetes or lung disease.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

But on Tuesday, structural columns buckled and floors sagged, prompting the evacuation of that building and several others nearby, according to New York City officials.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Crews worked overnight to shore up a massive, under-construction apartment building in Manhattan after some of its columns buckled and floors sagged, triggering widespread evacuations and street closures over concerns about a collapse.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026

Definition of sagged

Browse Nearby Words

emaciate

emaciated

emaciates

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Emaciated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emaciated. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of emaciated

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on emaciated

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes