gaunt

¹

[ gawnt ]

adjective

, gaunt·er, gaunt·est.

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.

Gaunt

²

[ gawnt, gahnt ]

noun

1. John of. John of Gaunt.

gaunt

/ ɡɔːnt /

adjective

1. bony and emaciated in appearance
2. (of places) bleak or desolate

Derived Forms

• ˈgauntness, noun
• ˈgauntly, adverb

Other Words From

• gauntly adverb
• gauntness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaunt¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gaunt¹

C15: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian dialect gand tall lean person

Synonym Study

See thin.

Example Sentences

In November 1960, while still a teenager, he took control of an empty unit at what would become known as the Gaunt Shopping Centre - it wasn't on wheels, but it was his.

From BBC

If you know anything about Burton’s movies, you know that they tend to feature characters who embody all the qualities of a sickly Victorian-era child: waifish, sunken doe-eye and gaunt faces with a deathlike pallor.

From Salon

In Truro, Cornwall, shop owner Martin Gaunt said his quirky gifts and collectibles store, Happy Piranha, was targeted by thieves on an almost daily basis.

From BBC

A video filmed on the day of his release shows a gaunt figure.

From BBC

Asmaa noticed that people in Jabalia were starting to look gaunt.

From BBC

Related Words

• angular
• emaciated
• thin