gaunt

/ɡɔːnt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡɔːnt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgȯnt ˈgänt/ (ame, mw)

gaunt — adjective

  • gauntpositive
  • gauntercomparative
  • gauntestsuperlative

1. extremely thin, with hollow cheeks or a tired, worn face, usually caused by long

1.形容詞C1
釋義

extremely thin, with hollow cheeks or a tired, worn face, usually caused by long illness, hunger, or heavy worry.

例句

Beatrix looked gaunt after six weeks of chemotherapy at the cancer ward.

look + gaunt after + cause

Hunger had left the prisoners gaunt, with hollow cheeks and dull eyes.

leave + somebody + gaunt

同義詞
  • haggard

    emphasises a tired, worn face more than overall thinness

  • emaciated

    stronger and more clinical; the body looks dangerously thin

  • drawn

    softer; the face looks tight and tired but not extremely thin

反義詞
  • plump

    suggests a pleasantly full or rounded body

  • robust

    stresses strength and a healthy build

文法句型

look/seem/appear + gaunt

a gaunt + face/figure/man

gaunt + with + hunger/worry/illness

用法筆記

Most often paired with body parts like face, cheeks, or figure rather than the body as a whole, and frequently carries a sense of suffering or worn-down hardship that simple words like 'thin' or 'slim' do not.

常見錯誤

❌Tuan is gaunt because he goes running every morning.
✅Tuan is slim because he goes running every morning.
💡'gaunt' suggests unhealthy thinness from suffering, not from fitness or natural build.

2. empty, bare, and rather grim to look at, often used of buildings, ruins, or wide

2.形容詞C2
釋義

empty, bare, and rather grim to look at, often used of buildings, ruins, or wide open land with nothing growing or moving on it.

例句

Gaunt stone walls were all that remained of the old prison on Samir's island.

gaunt + ruined building

From the train window, Kasia watched a gaunt grey landscape stretch toward the snowy mountains.

同義詞
  • bleak

    stresses cold, joyless atmosphere as well as bareness

  • desolate

    adds a feeling of loneliness and abandonment

  • barren

    focuses on land where nothing grows

反義詞
  • lush

    suggests rich, green growth

  • welcoming

    suggests warmth and friendliness instead of harshness

文法句型

a gaunt + building/landscape/ruin

gaunt + against + the sky/horizon

用法筆記

Mostly literary or journalistic; in everyday speech Taiwanese learners are more likely to hear 'bare' or 'bleak'. Distinguish from sense 1 (HOLLOW AND THIN): sense 2 describes places and objects, never living bodies.

常見錯誤

❌The supermarket was gaunt on Sunday morning.
✅The supermarket was empty on Sunday morning.
💡sense 2 is reserved for grim, harsh-looking places like ruins or moors, not for normal empty shops.