ENGLISH
REFERENCE

skeletal

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈskɛɫətəɫ// UK //skˈɛlɪtəl// skele·tal Informal

adj. relating to the bones in your body. It can also describe someone who is extremely thin or a plan that only has the most basic parts.

adj. relating to or functioning as a skeleton; by extension, reduced to the essential or minimal parts. Often used to describe physical appearance or organizational structures.


SIMPLE

The doctor showed me a skeletal diagram of the hand.

CONTEXTUAL

After months of famine, the refugees arrived at the camp in a skeletal condition, requiring immediate medical intervention.

COMPLEX

The new administration began with a skeletal staff, focusing only on the most urgent legislative priorities while they vetted candidates for more permanent roles.

Synonyms
Origin

From skeleton + -al.

Usage

Often used predicatively after 'look' or 'appear' when describing physical thinness; used attributively when referring to biology or basic structures.

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