SKELETAL Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

skeletal

adjective

ˈske-lə-tᵊl

Definition of skeletal

as in gaunt

suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease the stray kitten's skeletal body was pitiful to look at

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of skeletal For years, a static skeletal figure sat atop a cursed pile of gold, but now, his story is coming to life thanks to the latest in Audio-Animatronic technology. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Because kids aren’t fully grown yet, their skeletal systems require surgeries tailored to each child’s specific growth and developmental stages, meaning a 15-year-old won’t receive the same kind of knee reconstruction surgery as a 60-year-old — or even as a 12-year-old. — Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026 An experiment on mice conducted by a team of researchers from Texas A&M University has revealed a healing sequence in mammalian physiology that rebuilds lost skeletal structure, albeit with less than perfect results. — Mike McRae 28, New Atlas, 28 June 2026 Then, in 2022, archaeologists from the University of South Carolina uncovered his skeletal remains and submitted them for DNA analysis in hopes of discovering his identity. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for skeletal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skeletal

Adjective

The church’s punishment, however, delivered in front of the congregants, is an eerie ritual performed by a gaunt, severe visitor (Nicholas Hope).

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of gaunt

Adjective

Rocking back and forth nervously during a television appearance, a haggard-looking Diaz-Canel acknowledged the same talks, which his government had denied were taking place just days before.

— Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Wrexham, meanwhile, was near the bottom, struggling in England’s lowest division under a haggard fan-ownership group keeping it on life support.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of haggard

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skedaddling

skeletal

skeleton

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“Skeletal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skeletal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of skeletal

adjective

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