emaciate

emaciate — verb

1. to make a person or animal become so extremely thin and weak that their bones ca

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to make a person or animal become so extremely thin and weak that their bones can be seen through the skin, usually because of a long illness or lack of adequate food.

Example

Prolonged chemotherapy had emaciated Naoko, leaving her unable to walk more than a few steps.

transitive with person as object; often passive or participial

The severe drought emaciated the cattle, and several families lost their entire herds.

Common collocations
  • emaciated by illness
  • emaciated by drought
  • emaciated by neglect
  • chemotherapy emaciates
  • starvation emaciates
Synonyms
  • waste away

    less formal and can be used intransitively; 'emaciate' is more clinical

  • skeletonise

    technical term for reducing to a skeletal state; very rare in everyday language

Antonyms
  • nourish

    opposite action — to give food or sustenance that builds the body

  • fatten

    less formal, implies deliberate feeding to increase body mass

Grammar Patterns

emaciate + noun phrase (a person or animal)

be/get emaciated by + noun phrase

Usage Note

The past participle 'emaciated' is far more common than the base verb and is frequently used as an adjective (e.g. 'an emaciated child'). Learners should recognise this adjective use even if they rarely encounter 'emaciate' as a transitive verb.

Common Mistakes

The illness emaciated him down to skin and bone.
The illness emaciated him.
'emaciate' already means to cause extreme thinness; adding 'down' or 'to skin and bone' is redundant.
The doctor emaciated the patient by giving less food.
The illness emaciated the patient.
'emaciate' implies involuntary wasting caused by disease or deprivation, not a deliberate action by a person.

2. to become extremely thin and weak, losing flesh from the body, especially as a r

2.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

to become extremely thin and weak, losing flesh from the body, especially as a result of illness or not having enough food for a long time.

Example

Without proper treatment, the patient slowly emaciated until only skin and bone remained.

intransitive use; patient as subject

The rescued birds kept emaciating until Defne took them to the wildlife centre.

past perfect progressive, intransitive

Common collocations
  • emaciate slowly
  • emaciate visibly
  • emaciate from lack of food
  • patient emaciates
Synonyms
  • waste away

    the everyday alternative; less clinical than 'emaciate'

  • atrophy

    specifically refers to the shrinking of tissue or organs; more technical

Antonyms
  • thrive

    opposite — to grow strong and healthy

  • flourish

    to grow or develop in a healthy way

Grammar Patterns

emaciate (no object)

emaciate over a period of time

Usage Note

This intransitive verb form is very rare in everyday speech. Most native speakers would say 'waste away' or 'become emaciated' instead. The past participle adjective 'emaciated' is the natural choice for describing a person or animal in that state.

Common Mistakes

He emaciated after the surgery.
He became emaciated after the surgery.
the intransitive verb is very unusual; the adjective form 'emaciated' with 'become' or 'grow' is much more natural.

Word family

  • emaciated
    adjectiveC2
  • emaciation
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Emaciate' and 'waste away' both describe a person or animal becoming extremely thin, but 'emaciate' is a formal, medical term that often implies visible bones and a critical state, while 'waste away' is the everyday alternative used in conversation and informal writing. 'Atrophy' is more specific — it refers to the shrinking of a particular body part, organ, or muscle from disuse or disease (e.g. 'his leg muscles atrophied after months in a cast'), not the whole body's wasting. 'Skeletonise' is a rare technical term for reducing something to a skeleton, usually describing dead bodies or specimens in forensic or natural-history contexts. For a living person who is dangerously thin due to illness, say 'emaciated' (adjective) in formal writing or 'wasted away' in speech.

emaciate ↗waste away ↗atrophyskeletonise

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • skin and bone
  • emaciated frame
  • emaciated appearance

Prepositions

  • by (emaciated by disease)
  • from (emaciate from starvation)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'emaciare' (to make lean), formed from 'ex-' (out, thoroughly) + 'macies' (leanness, thinness). 'Macies' itself comes from 'macer' (thin), which is related to Greek 'makros' (long). The English verb emerged in the early 17th century and has retained its medical/formal register ever since.