gaunt

¹ American  

[gawnt] / gɔnt /

adjective

gaunter, gauntest

1. extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn, as from great hunger, weariness, or torture; emaciated.

   Synonyms:

   rawboned, angular, lank, scrawny, spare, lean

   Antonyms:

   stout

2. bleak, desolate, or grim, as places or things.

   a gaunt, windswept landscape.

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Gaunt ² American  

[gawnt, gahnt] / gɔnt, gɑnt /

noun

1. John of. John of Gaunt.

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gaunt British  

/ ɡɔːnt /

adjective

1. bony and emaciated in appearance

2. (of places) bleak or desolate

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Related Words

See thin.

Other Word Forms

• gauntly adverb
• gauntness noun

Etymology

Origin of gaunt

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, probably from Old French gaunet, jaunet “yellowish,” derivative of gaune, jaune “yellow,” from Latin galbinus “greenish-yellow”

Example Sentences

The pressure he felt at Merrill made him look even more gaunt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Emerging gaunt and pale from Israeli custody last week, the teenager bore little resemblance to the photos that had been circulated to campaign for his release.

From Los Angeles Times

Based in leafy south-west London, the Victorian-era facility - with its gaunt brick walls and a dark intimidating entrance - is one of the largest in the UK.

From BBC

In the dock, Filipov, 36, cut a gaunt but muscular figure, twitching slightly like a boxer before a fight as he attempted to defuse awkward questions about his tattoos.

From BBC

Other prisoners have appeared gaunt and almost unrecognisable.

From Barron's

Related Words

• angular
• emaciated
• thin