skin and bones

American  

Or skin and bone

noun

1. a condition or state of extreme thinness, usually the result of malnutrition; emaciation.

   Anorexia had reduced her to skin and bones.

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skin and bones Idioms  

1. Painfully thin, emaciated. This phrase often is expanded to nothing but skin and bones, as in She came home from her trip nothing but skin and bones. This hyperbolic expression—one could hardly be alive without some flesh—dates from the early 1400s.

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Etymology

Origin of skin and bones

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

skin and bones

Shred chicken into bite sized pieces, discarding skin and bones.

From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025

Differences between the Eco Edison and vessels built for offshore and deep water oil rigs aren’t yet apparent as the skin and bones of the towering ship take shape in a 120-foot-tall waterside assembly building.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

"I told myself before the game, 'he's made of skin and bones, just like everyone else'. But I was wrong."

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2022

“I think it’s the deepest kind of listening I’ve done,” he said, “and it’s not even just listening with the ears, but with the skin and bones and muscles.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2019

Then, a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• bony
• gaunt
• scrawny
• skeletal
• skinny