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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 haggard
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
Nobody could have given this song so much haggard soul.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
His cheeks were hollow, and a grizzled beard, which hadn’t seen a proper shave in weeks, made his face look older and all the more haggard.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for haggard
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
Nobody could have given this song so much haggard soul.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
His cheeks were hollow, and a grizzled beard, which hadn’t seen a proper shave in weeks, made his face look older and all the more haggard.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for haggard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haggard
Adjective
-
And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By combining visual and motor data, the AEKE K1 monitors your movements in real time—analyzing 42 skeletal points with sub-second responsiveness.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The impact these conditions have on bone and skeletal growth reduces height.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
1 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Haggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haggard. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share