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
-
In the courtroom, Alfortish’s face looked gaunt after spending roughly a year in prison, and his hair, thinning now, had gone white.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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We’re introduced to its uncanny backdrop through the eyes of protagonist Heinrich, or Hein (Paul Boche), a gaunt young man who returns by boat after 14 years away.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Pregnant and nursing women often need more to support fetal skeletal development.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
24 Apr. 2026
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While bone density is built within the first few decades of your life, your skeletal system still requires care and close consideration well into midlife and beyond.—
Holly Carter,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Haggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haggard. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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