scrawny
adj.adj. very thin and weak-looking. You use this to describe someone who is not healthy or strong because they do not have much muscle or fat.
adj. extremely thin and weak in appearance, typically due to a lack of muscle mass or poor nutrition. Often carries a slightly negative or derogatory tone.
The stray cat looked scrawny and hungry.
After weeks of working in the hot sun without enough water, the workers looked scrawny and exhausted.
The child's scrawny frame was a stark contrast to the robust health of his siblings, prompting the doctor to investigate further for signs of malnutrition.
A variant of dialectal scranny (“thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality”), perhaps from Old Norse skran (“rubbish; junk”) + -y. Compare Norwegian skran (“lean, thin, skinny”), English scrannel (“lean; meager; poor; worthless”). Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skrælna (“to be shrivelled”).