EMACIATE Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

emaciate

verb

i-ˈmā-shē-ˌāt

Definition of emaciate

as in to weaken

to lose bodily strength or vigor without adequate medical supplies, doctors could only look on helplessly as cholera victims continued to emaciate

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Example Sentences

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 emaciate Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter was also found in the house emaciated, and the two women were arrested and held without bail. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024 At barely five pounds, Matilda was emaciated and clinging to life when the Monmouth County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took her in. — Kathleen Hopkins, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023 Past herds of cows wandering through busy settlements along the highway in search of water, so emaciated their ribs were showing. — Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023 Many were emaciated, unlike the examples in the current study. — Joshua Sokol, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2020 Three of them were severely malnourished and the rest were emaciated, according to the Sheriff's Office. — James Carr, azcentral, 21 Feb. 2020 Detectives noted that much of the food in the home was locked away and that James' body was emaciated when found. — Sarah Sarder, Houston Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2020 Scores of common murres, one of the most prolific seabirds, washed up on beaches, and many were emaciated, the researchers said. — oregonlive, 21 Jan. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for emaciate

Verb

Even if Korea can maintain 2% economic growth over the next two decades, consumption growth gradually weakens and eventually turns negative, according to Goldman’s long-term modeling.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Riggs said the Teamsters’ safety argument is weakened by the inconsistent safety record of human truck drivers, who have fallen asleep at the wheel or driven while distracted or otherwise impaired.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Bitcoin has been in a prolonged slump since October, and BTIG noted that a similar surge in January 2023 initially faded before the cryptocurrency found support around its 200-day moving average.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
The crimson hue that may have been visible at the height of the eclipse will gradually fade as the crescent of the lunar disk exposed to direct sunlight grows, and normality reasserts itself over the natural satellite.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of fade

Verb

Even near the end of an August in which the Jays went 17-11, the team posted a near-average wRC+ (101 entering Sunday).

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
In fact, the breakeven rate of employment growth, or the number of net new jobs needed each month to keep the unemployment rate steady, actually went slightly negative during the summer and fall of 2025.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of go

Verb

Beneath that sits a high-density support-foam foundation designed to limit sagging and compression over time, along with a textured anti-slip base to reduce movement on the bed frame.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2026
Which is why her character flicks through YouTube plastic surgery videos and stares at older women on the bus, comparing her wrinkles and checking her neck for any signs of sagging.

— Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of sag

Verb

Call to action In September 2025, NASA put out a call to action to save Swift, whose orbit was decaying quickly due to high solar activity.

— Leonard David, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
The $30-million mission aimed to raise Swift from a rapidly decaying orbit worsened by intense solar activity, preserving a telescope that spent two decades tracking cosmic explosions.

— Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Merrill went 0 for 5 on his bobblehead night, striking out on three pitches with the bases loaded in both the eighth and 11th, and also failed to make a diving catch on Flores' RBI double.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
But ordinary Iranians also turn to cryptocurrency as a way to opt out of a failing system.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fail

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Elysiums

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“Emaciate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emaciate. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of emaciate

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