Synonyms

emaciate

American

[ih-mey-shee-eyt] / ɪˈmeɪ ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

emaciated, emaciating

to make abnormally lean or thin by a gradual wasting away of flesh.

emaciate British

/ ɪˈmeɪsɪˌeɪt /

verb

(usually tr) to become or cause to become abnormally thin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

emaciation noun

Etymology

Origin of emaciate

1640–50; < Latin ēmaciātus, wasted away, equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + maciātus, past participle of maciāre to produce leanness ( maci ( ēs ) leanness + -ātus -ate ¹ )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Frail and emaciated following his release in February under the ceasefire deal, Or Levy was emotionally reunited with his three-year-old son, his parents and brother Michael.

From BBC

Relatives of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was taken from the Nova music festival and was seen emaciated in a tunnel in a video published by Hamas in August, said they always "knew he would return".

From BBC

He was emaciated, his ribs piercing, nearing death.

From Los Angeles Times

Most on board were soldiers with sunken cheeks, emaciated after their years behind bars.

From BBC

Meanwhile, a Gazan woman who was evacuated to Italy for treatment while severely emaciated has died in hospital.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023