as in gaunt
suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease
the rescued hiker appeared haggard and worn after a week in the woods
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Recent Examples of haggard
Nobody could have given this song so much haggard soul.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
His cheeks were hollow, and a grizzled beard, which hadn’t seen a proper shave in weeks, made his face look older and all the more haggard.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
What’s lost is the heat and swashbuckling adventure of the original tale, a humanist turn that finds Odysseus at the end of his mortal coil, Fiennes at first haggard, awash naked on the shores of Ithaca after a shipwreck has left him unmoored and divorced from his former kingdom.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
Ralph Fiennes’ Odysseus, back from the Trojan War, washes up on the shores of Ithaca after 20 years away, haggard and unrecognizable.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for haggard
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
His cheeks were hollow, and a grizzled beard, which hadn’t seen a proper shave in weeks, made his face look older and all the more haggard.
—Lee Chang-Dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
What’s lost is the heat and swashbuckling adventure of the original tale, a humanist turn that finds Odysseus at the end of his mortal coil, Fiennes at first haggard, awash naked on the shores of Ithaca after a shipwreck has left him unmoored and divorced from his former kingdom.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
Ralph Fiennes’ Odysseus, back from the Trojan War, washes up on the shores of Ithaca after 20 years away, haggard and unrecognizable.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for haggard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haggard
Adjective
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Then a gaunt old girl lit out over the ridge, and the others broke and followed.—
Fred C. Mercer,
Outdoor Life,
14 Aug. 2025
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Larry Shapiro, Calgary, Alberta Hamas has no conscience Seeing the sickly, gaunt faces of the three Israeli hostages released by Hamas in Gaza on Feb. 8 presented a clear picture of the loathing and deep hostility their abductors felt for them.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But the mood in Israel hardened dramatically when, on July 31, Hamas released a video of the skeletal 21-year-old Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, weeping and in pain.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
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At five feet, this skeletal cat has bright orange glowing eyes, guaranteed to give a fright to anyone passing your front yard.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Haggard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haggard. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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