French word

squelettique

Pronunciation

IPA/skəletik/

Meaning

  • adjectivegaunt

Example

Après la maladie, il est devenu squelettique.

After the illness, he became gaunt.

Illustration for squelettique (gaunt)

More examples

Après le confinement, il avait l'air squelettique.

After the lockdown, he looked skeletal.

Core concept

A nearly fleshless human form whose bones stand out beneath the skin.

Common phrases

  • avoir l'air squelettique

    look skeletal

  • paraître squelettique

    appear skeletal

  • être squelettique

    be skeletal

Similar words

maigre: Lean and lacking much body fat.
mince: Slim in build, with little body thickness.
amaigri: Noticeably thinner and hollow-looking after illness or worry.

Definition in French

Relatif au squelette ; employé pour décrire une maigreur si prononcée que les os deviennent visibles.

Word origin

Squelette ultimately comes from Greek skeletos through Latin sceletus, and squelettique is its French adjective derivative in -ique.

Usage tips

  • The word can describe a person's appearance, but its marked tone makes très maigre or amaigri gentler choices in everyday speech.

Other meanings

  • skeletaladjective
  • meageradjective

Opposites

  • corpulentcorpulentadjective
  • enrobéplumpadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word