Synonyms of gaunt
20 similar words · 60 opposite words
Another word for gaunt is scrawny. Other synonyms of gaunt are scraggy, skinny, gracile, lank and lean.
Synonyms and similar words for gaunt
adjectiveUnhealthily thin, as from hunger or illness: drawn, emaciated, haggard.
adjectiveWith a positive or neutral connotation: not overweight; lean, slender, slim.
- gracileLean, slender, thin.
- lank
- leanSlim; not fleshy.
- leansomeCharacterised or marked by leanness; thin.
- litheSlim but not skinny.
- lithesomeCharacterised or marked by litheness; pliant, limber, nimble, lissom.
- lissome
- rangy
- sleekSlim and streamlined; not plump, thick, or stocky.
- slender
- slightOf slender build.
- slimSlender in an attractive way.
- svelte
- swack UK, dialectalLithe; nimble.
- sylphlikeResembling (that of) a sylph; slender and graceful.
- willowyTall, slender and graceful.
- slinky UK, dated
Opposite of gaunt
adjectiveWith a positive or neutral connotation: not overweight; lean, slender, slim.
- big-boned euphemistic
- bulbous
- corpulent
- curvy euphemistic
- Daniel LambertishExtremely obese.
- eurysomeBroad-bodied; wide-bodied or thick-limbed in proportion to height or length.
- famine resistantOverweight, fat.
- gravitationally challenged
- horizontally challengedFat, obese.
- obeseExtremely overweight, especially: weighing more than 20% (for men) or 25% (for women) over their conventionally ideal...
- rotund
- round
- spherical
- big as a houseVery large.
- bloated
- blubbery US
- fat as a cow
- fat as a pigExceptionally fat or obese.
- gross US
- lardy slang
- poddy
- porcine
- porky slang
- tubby slang
- ample
- beer-belliedHaving a beer belly.
- big
- bulky
- chubby
- chunky slang
- embonpointPlump, chubby, buxom.
- fat
- flabby
- fleshy
- full-figuredFat; plump.
- fulsome
- heavy
- heavyset
- love-handledHaving love handles.
- meaty
- overnourished euphemistic
- paunchyHaving a paunch; having a prominent stomach; potbellied.
- pleasantly plump slang
- plump
- plus-size
- portly
- potbelliedHaving a potbelly.
- podgy
- pudgyFat, overweight (pertaining particularly to children), plump; chubby.
- roly-poly
- Rubenesque
- sonsy British, dialectalLucky; fortunate; thriving; plump.
- swagbelliedHaving a prominent, overhanging belly.
- thickHeavy in build; thickset.
- well-covered British
- well-padded
- well-rounded
- well-upholsteredFat.
- wide
- gorbellied obsoleteHaving a gorbelly; fat; potbellied.
Meaning of gaunt
- adjective Angular, bony, and lean.
- adjective Unhealthily thin, as from hunger or illness: drawn, emaciated, haggard.
- adjective Of a place or thing: bleak, desolate.
Questions about synonyms of gaunt
- What is another word for gaunt?
- Gaunt has 20 synonyms on Word.ws, such as scrawny, scraggy, skinny, gracile, lank, lean, leansome and lithe.
- What is the opposite of gaunt?
- The opposite of gaunt is big-boned. Other antonyms of gaunt are bulbous, corpulent, curvy, Daniel Lambertish and eurysome.
- What does gaunt mean?
- Gaunt means angular, bony, and lean.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gaunt (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of gaunt.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/gaunt. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.