skin and bones: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
ModerateInformal
Quick answer
What does “skin and bones” mean?
Extremely thin, emaciated, with little flesh or muscle covering the skeleton.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Extremely thin, emaciated, with little flesh or muscle covering the skeleton.
A state of severe underweight or malnutrition; can be used metaphorically to describe something reduced to its barest, most minimal components.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or structural differences; the idiom is identical in form and common in both varieties.
Connotations
Similar connotations of concern, pity, or sometimes mild criticism in both dialects. Slightly more likely to be used in a tone of affectionate worry in UK English.
Frequency
Equally common and well-understood in both British and American English.
Grammar
How to Use “skin and bones” in a Sentence
[Subject] be/look like skin and bones.He is skin and bones.She came back from hospital looking like skin and bones.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “skin and bones” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A - not used as a verb.
American English
- N/A - not used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A - not used as an adverb.
American English
- N/A - not used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- After walking the Coast to Coast, he was absolutely skin and bones.
- Don't let the dog get skin and bones; feed him properly!
American English
- She was skin and bones after her bout with the flu.
- The rescued stray cat was just skin and bones.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Possibly metaphorical: 'After the budget cuts, the department is just skin and bones.'
Academic
Rare in formal writing. Might appear in medical, anthropological, or historical texts describing malnutrition.
Everyday
Common in spoken English to express concern about someone's health or weight loss.
Technical
Not a clinical term. A doctor might use 'cachexic' or 'emaciated' instead.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “skin and bones”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “skin and bones”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “skin and bones”
- Using it as an attributive adjective (*a skin-and-bones man) instead of predicative (The man is skin and bones).
- Confusing it with 'skin deep', which is about superficiality.
- Using it to describe acceptable slimness rather than worrying thinness.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, this is a common error. It is almost exclusively used as a predicative adjective (after 'be', 'become', 'look like'). The hyphenated form is not standard.
It can be, if used insensitively. It typically expresses concern or states an observable fact about severe thinness, often due to illness. Tone and context are crucial.
Yes, but this is a metaphorical extension. For example: 'The first draft of the report is just skin and bones; we need to add more detail.' It means the bare minimum structure is there.
'Skinny' is a general, informal term for thin. 'Skin and bones' is stronger, more vivid, and implies an alarming or pitiable lack of flesh, where the bones are prominently visible.
Extremely thin, emaciated, with little flesh or muscle covering the skeleton.
Skin and bones is usually informal in register.
Skin and bones: in British English it is pronounced /ˌskɪn ən ˈbəʊnz/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌskɪn ən ˈboʊnz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A bag of bones (synonym, slightly more negative)”
- “All skin and bones (variant)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Picture a Halloween skeleton with just a thin layer of skin stretched over it—no muscle or fat. That's 'skin and bones'.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE BODY IS A STRUCTURE (where flesh/muscle is the building material, and its absence reveals the underlying frame).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'skin and bones' used CORRECTLY?