Bony
Bony adjective - Having a noticeably small amount of body fat.
Usage example: that bony old horse may have been deliberately starved
Skeletal is a synonym for bony in thin topic. In some cases you can use "Skeletal" instead an adjective "Bony", when it comes to topics like gaunt, of or like bone. popular alternative
Skeletal
Skeletal adjective - Suffering extreme weight loss as a result of hunger or disease.
Usage example: the stray kitten's skeletal body was pitiful to look at
Bony is a synonym for skeletal in emaciated topic. You can use "Bony" instead an adjective "Skeletal", if it concerns topics such as wasted. popular alternative
Nearby Word: skeleton
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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The Evil Sorcerer in Williams Electronics' Sorcerer pinball summons some sort of ghostly/skeletal flaming dragons, with only their skulls and bony claws visible.
Source: Dracolich - Running Gag: Remarks about Ferdinand being very skinny, pale, bony, skeletal, looking like he has tuberculosis, looking like he has AIDS, and so on.
Source: Literature / Legends of Laconia -
Yeah, that's a semi-skeletal Eldritch Abomination with souls impaled on the massive bony spikes coming out of its body.
Source: Spikes of Villainy
Cite this Source
Skeletal and Bony. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/bony/skeletal
Bony & Skeletal. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/bony/skeletal>.
Skeletal or Bony. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/bony/skeletal.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "bony" and "skeletal" have occurred on timeline