skeletal
/'skelitl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Relating to or forming a skeleton: Pertaining to the framework of bones that supports the body of a vertebrate animal.
- Extremely thin; emaciated: Resembling a skeleton in being very thin, often due to illness, hunger, or other causes.
Usage
- Relating to a skeleton: Used to describe anatomical structures, systems, or features connected to the skeleton.
- Describing extreme thinness: Used to describe a person, animal, or part of the body that is so thin the underlying bone structure is prominent.
Examples
- Relating to a skeleton:
- The museum displayed the skeletal remains of a dinosaur.
- Skeletal muscles are attached to bones and facilitate movement.
- Describing extreme thinness:
- After the long illness, his face was skeletal.
- The stray dog was skeletal from lack of food.
Advanced Usage
- "Skeletal structure": The basic framework or essential form of something, not just anatomical.
- Only the skeletal structure of the building remained after the fire.
- "Skeletal crew/staff": A minimal number of people needed to maintain basic operations.
- During the holiday, the office runs with a skeletal staff.
Variants and Related Words
- Skeleton (n): The internal framework of bones in an organism; the basic structure or outline of something.
- He studied the human skeleton in anatomy class.
- Skeletally (adv): In a manner relating to or resembling a skeleton.
- The patient was skeletally thin.
Synonyms
- Bony: Having prominent bones; very thin.
- Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or lack of food.
- Gaunt: Lean and haggard, especially from suffering, hunger, or age.
- Anatomical (for the "relating to" sense): Concerning bodily structure.
Antonyms
- Plump: Having a full, rounded shape.
- Corpulent: (Formal) Fat.
- Fleshy: Having much flesh; plump.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- Skeletal frame: Often used to emphasize extreme thinness.
- Her skeletal frame was visible beneath the thin blanket.
- Skeletal outline: A very basic plan or draft without details.
- He presented only a skeletal outline of the proposal.
Adjective
- very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
- emaciated bony hands
- a nightmare population of gaunt men and skeletal boys
- eyes were haggard and cavernous
- small pinched faces
- kept life in his wasted frame only by grim concentration
- of or relating to or forming or attached to a skeleton
- the skeletal system
- skeletal bones
- skeletal muscles