emaciate

emaciate — verb

1. to make a person or animal become so extremely thin and weak that their bones ca

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to make a person or animal become so extremely thin and weak that their bones can be seen through the skin, usually because of a long illness or lack of adequate food.

例句

Prolonged chemotherapy had emaciated Naoko, leaving her unable to walk more than a few steps.

transitive with person as object; often passive or participial

The severe drought emaciated the cattle, and several families lost their entire herds.

同義詞
  • waste away

    less formal and can be used intransitively; 'emaciate' is more clinical

  • skeletonise

    technical term for reducing to a skeletal state; very rare in everyday language

反義詞
  • nourish

    opposite action — to give food or sustenance that builds the body

  • fatten

    less formal, implies deliberate feeding to increase body mass

文法句型

emaciate + noun phrase (a person or animal)

be/get emaciated by + noun phrase

用法筆記

The past participle 'emaciated' is far more common than the base verb and is frequently used as an adjective (e.g. 'an emaciated child'). Learners should recognise this adjective use even if they rarely encounter 'emaciate' as a transitive verb.

常見錯誤

❌The illness emaciated him down to skin and bone.
✅The illness emaciated him.
💡'emaciate' already means to cause extreme thinness; adding 'down' or 'to skin and bone' is redundant.
❌The doctor emaciated the patient by giving less food.
✅The illness emaciated the patient.
💡'emaciate' implies involuntary wasting caused by disease or deprivation, not a deliberate action by a person.

2. to become extremely thin and weak, losing flesh from the body, especially as a r

2.動詞不及物C2
釋義

to become extremely thin and weak, losing flesh from the body, especially as a result of illness or not having enough food for a long time.

例句

Without proper treatment, the patient slowly emaciated until only skin and bone remained.

intransitive use; patient as subject

The rescued birds kept emaciating until Defne took them to the wildlife centre.

past perfect progressive, intransitive

同義詞
  • waste away

    the everyday alternative; less clinical than 'emaciate'

  • atrophy

    specifically refers to the shrinking of tissue or organs; more technical

反義詞
  • thrive

    opposite — to grow strong and healthy

  • flourish

    to grow or develop in a healthy way

文法句型

emaciate (no object)

emaciate over a period of time

用法筆記

This intransitive verb form is very rare in everyday speech. Most native speakers would say 'waste away' or 'become emaciated' instead. The past participle adjective 'emaciated' is the natural choice for describing a person or animal in that state.

常見錯誤

❌He emaciated after the surgery.
✅He became emaciated after the surgery.
💡the intransitive verb is very unusual; the adjective form 'emaciated' with 'become' or 'grow' is much more natural.