gaunt
gb/ɡˈɔnt/ us/ɡˈɔnt/
C1
English
~ 8600
csontsovány, lesoványodott, komor, kopár
C1
1
csontsovány
B1
Usage pattern:
a gaunt [person / face / body]
After months of illness, he looked gaunt and hollow-eyed.
Hónapokig tartó betegség után csontsoványnak és beesett szeműnek tűnt.
Refugees arrived at the camp, gaunt from weeks without proper food.
A menekültek csontsoványan érkeztek a táborba, miután hetekig nem jutottak rendes ételhez.
Her gaunt face in the mirror shocked her family.
The actor became gaunt for the role of a starving prisoner.
He was tall and gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and sunken eyes.
Learner examples
The old man was thin and gaunt.
Az öregember sovány és csontsovány volt.
She came home from the war looking gaunt and weak.
Úgy jött haza a háborúból, hogy csontsovány és gyenge volt.
After the long trip, the dog was dirty and gaunt.
His gaunt face showed how hard his life had been.
The sick boy grew pale and gaunt.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "gaunt" with "haunt" because they look similar. "Gaunt" describes a very thin, bony appearance; "haunt" is a verb about ghosts or a place you visit often. Some learners also think "gaunt" simply means "tall"; it actually focuses on being extremely thin, often in an unhealthy way.
Meaning
extremely thin, bony and tired
Collocations
gaunt face
|gaunt figure
|gaunt frame
|tall and gaunt
|gaunt cheeks
Synonyms
emaciated (More technical/medical and often even more extreme; focuses strongly on severe thinness from disease or lack of food.)
|
haggard (Stresses tired, worn features from worry or lack of sleep more than being physically thin.)
|
skeletal (Very strong word for shockingly thin, as if only bones are left; often more dramatic than 'gaunt'.)
Antonyms
plump (Describes someone pleasantly and healthily a bit fat, the opposite of thin and bony.)
|
well-fed (Highlights that someone looks healthy and has had enough to eat, not thin from hunger.)
Themes
appearance
|health
|emotions
|body
Definition
Very thin so that the bones show, usually because a person is sick, very hungry, or has had a hard life.
Very thin and bony in a way that suggests illness, hunger, great age, or emotional suffering.
C2
LITERARY
2
Usage pattern:
a gaunt [building / landscape / room]
The factory closed years ago, leaving only a gaunt shell of a building by the river.
A gyár évekkel ezelőtt bezárt, és csak egy komor, üres épületváz maradt utána a folyóparton.
They walked across a gaunt landscape of dead trees and gray soil.
Kiszáradt fák és szürke föld komor, kopár táján mentek keresztül.
The gaunt stone church stood alone on the windy hill.
Winter made the park look gaunt and lifeless.
The gaunt interior of the warehouse felt cold and unfriendly.
Learner examples
A gaunt building stood alone on the hill.
Egy komor épület állt magányosan a dombon.
In winter, the trees were bare and the land looked gaunt.
Télen csupaszok voltak a fák, és a táj kopárnak tűnt.
We drove through a gaunt, empty town.
The room was gaunt, with only one old chair.
After the fire, the house was dark and gaunt.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use "gaunt" for any ugly thing. It is normally used for places or buildings that look bare, cold, and empty, not just unattractive. For general ugliness, words like "ugly" or "unattractive" are more common.
Meaning
bleak, bare, and unattractive place
Collocations
gaunt landscape
|gaunt building
|gaunt hills
|gaunt room
Synonyms
bleak (Very close in meaning; common general word for cold, empty, and without comfort or hope.)
|
desolate (Adds a stronger feeling of total emptiness and loneliness than "gaunt".)
Antonyms
inviting (Describes a place that looks warm and welcoming, the opposite of cold and bare.)
|
cosy (Focuses on small, warm, and comfortable feelings, opposed to the cold emptiness of something gaunt.)
Themes
places
|architecture
|nature
|housing
Definition
Looking empty, cold, and not friendly, especially when talking about a building or land.
Bleak, bare, and without warmth or comfort in appearance, especially of a building, room, or landscape.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gaunt
IPA
GB/ɡˈɔnt/
US/ɡˈɔnt/
Syllables & stress
gaunt (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gaunt)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: gaunt
- Comparative: gaunter
- Superlative: gauntest
Word family
Forms
gaunter
adjective
gauntest
adjective
Related words
gauntness
noun
gauntly
adverb
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.