skeletal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of skeletal
First recorded in 1850–55; skelet(on) + -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective skeletal to describe anything that relates to a skeleton or anything without a lot of "flesh," like the skeletal remains of a bird or the skeletal outline of a paper that is missing all the details. If you're a scientist or a doctor, you may use the word skeletal mostly to talk about skeletons, but it also describes someone who is dangerously thin. A skeletal stray dog has probably been living on the streets for a long time. This word is also used figuratively to describe something that has not yet been "fleshed out" — like a skeletal staff or crew that operates without a lot of support. The root of skeletal is the Greek skeleton, "dried-up body, mummy, or skeleton."
Vocabulary lists containing skeletal
STAAR Biology: Biological Processes and Systems
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Organisms and Environments 5: Human Systems
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Novel Study: Inside Out & Back Again, Unpack and Repack–1976: The Year of the Dragon
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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.
Skeletal replicas of the terrifying mosasaur, a Komodo Dragon relative with a six-foot jaw; the saber-toothed salmon; and other extinct species greet visitors in the museum’s entrance hall.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025
Skeletal remains of two other specimens found off islands in New Zealand and Chile enabled scientists to confirm a new species.
From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024
Skeletal remains, they argue, were a hot commodity at the beginning of the 19th century: Phosphorus was needed to produce fertilizer, whereas bone char was—bizarrely—a critical part of the process for refining sugar beets.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2024
Skeletal editing is a method used by chemists to replace atoms within a ring system.
From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024
Skeletal remains of old machinery filled the factory floor and reminded him of the dinosaur exhibits at the Museum of Natural History.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
