Definition

1. Adjective (Colloquial, Dialectal):
   • Extremely thin or emaciated: Describes a person or animal who is excessively skinny, gaunt, or skeletal in appearance, often due to illness or malnutrition. It implies a more severe state than simply "thin" (ốm).

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận bệnh dài, nó ốm nhách đi. (After the long illness, he became extremely emaciated.)
  • Con mèo hoang đó trông ốm nhách quá. (That stray cat looks terribly gaunt.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "ốm nhách" is primarily used in spoken, colloquial Vietnamese and may be considered dialectal. It carries a stronger, more vivid connotation than the standard "ốm" (sick/thin) or "gầy" (thin).

Variants and Related Words

• Ốm nhom (adj): Another colloquial term for being very skinny or skin and bones. It is often used interchangeably with "ốm nhách."
  • Nó ăn không được nên người ốm nhom. (He can't eat, so he's just skin and bones.)

Synonyms

• Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
• Gaunt: Lean and haggard, especially from hunger, illness, or aging.
• Skeletal: So thin as to resemble a skeleton.
• Skin and bones (Idiomatic): Extremely thin.

Related Idioms

• While "ốm nhách" itself is not part of a common idiom, its meaning aligns with the descriptive idiom "chỉ còn da bọc xương" (only skin wrapping bones / nothing but skin and bones).
  • Cụ già ấy ốm đến mức chỉ còn da bọc xương. (That old man is so thin he's nothing but skin and bones.)