Synonyms of skeletal

skeletal

adjective

ˈske-lə-tᵊl 

as in gaunt

suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease

the stray kitten's skeletal body was pitiful to look at

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gaunt
• haggard
• bony
• emaciated
• starving
• starved
• cadaverous
• hungry
• skinny
• scrawny
• lanky
• thin
• wasted
• sinewy
• lank
• undernourished
• underfed
• rawboned
• scraggy
• wizened
• spare
• withered
• famished
• shriveled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• healthy
• burly
• beefy
• husky
• brawny
• fit
• hearty
• hale
• fleshy
• fat
• obese
• plump
• overweight
• stocky
• corpulent
• chubby
• rotund
• pudgy
• thickset
• portly
• tubby
• heavyset
• flabby
• soft
• roly-poly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of skeletal

Brumm and his team cite evidence gathered from the extremely rare skeletal remains of two early human foragers discovered on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

Morphew has pleaded not guilty and faces trial next summer in the death of Suzanne Morphew, who disappeared in 2020 and whose skeletal remains were found off a dirt road in southern Colorado in 2023. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

As mammals, dogs have similar skeletal structures to humans, so the best beds for them are soft enough to feel comfortable and avoid pressure points but firm enough to offer support for the spine and joints. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2026

The team developed a measure called skeletal density to predict flotation. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026