Skip to main content
dumpy

dumpy

5 5.0
Short and thick in build, often making a person or animal look clumsy
  • adjective
  • /ˈdʌm.pi/
  • Offensive
translation icon : rechoncho (despectivo)
  • ... then there was the little dumpy one.
  • short and dumpy
  • dumpy little
  • dumpy woman

Examples

  • "I like them overweight and dumpy."

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He's a small, dumpy fellow, to be sure, but still the strain on me is considerable.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • But I think it makes me look dumpy.

  • Why was Ryan spending so much time with this dumpy new girl?"

  • Yup, I'm a dumpy kind of cook!

    Blog text (18)
  • Every weekend in the summer, we used to take this old dumpy sailboat out onto the lake.

  • Maxi was a short, dumpy, chatty girl who lived on Divine Street, three blocks away from Frog.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • One was obviously the doctor, a short and dumpy man clutching a worn black bag, his bald head beaded with sweat.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • As they discussed rates, her companion, a dumpy, aged woman whom Alobar had not even considered, moved ever closer until she had wormed her way between him and the blonde.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The dumpy little cottage looked charming despite its unusual shape.

Synonyms

stocky
vsdumpy
20 2.8

Short and wide in body with a solid build

tends to stress an unattractive, clumsy look rather than solidity
pudgy
vsdumpy
19 4.0

Slightly fat and short in a way that looks cute

carries an ungainly, unattractive sense rather than cute softness
chunky
vsdumpy
14 3.4

Short and thick in shape, with a strong, solid look

adds a negative, clumsy judgment not required by solid shape
stumpy
vsdumpy
4 4.7

Short and thick, often with stubby legs

expresses general ungainly shortness rather than stump-like bluntness
tubby
vsdumpy
  • Informal
4 3.4

Short and slightly fat with a round body, often about a person or animal

stresses ungainly, unattractive look rather than gentle comicalness
squatty
vsdumpy
1 5.9

Being short and low with a thick, sturdy shape

focuses on being seen as unattractive and clumsy rather than sturdy
squat
vsdumpy
1 4.6

Short and wide, low to the ground

emphasizes an unattractive, clumsy appearance rather than just low height
roly-poly
vsdumpy
  • Informal
1 5.5

Short, round, and plump in a friendly, playful way

expresses an ungainly, unattractive quality rather than playful affection
puggy
vsdumpy
  • Informal
9.7

Short and slightly chubby in a cute way

is more a negative, clumsy description than an informal name
porky
vsdumpy
  • Offensive
7.1

A little fat in a way people may find rude

refers specifically to short, thick-set form rather than general fatness

Antonyms

87 2.8

Movement that is smooth and attractive like a dancer or swan

Compounds

9.8

A short telescope on a rotating base that surveyors use to measure level ground

How Stocky

stocky
20 2.8
dumpy
  • Offensive
5 5.0
midsized
  • US
3 3.4
slender
57 1.4

Surface Forms

dumpy positive

Morphology

dumpy = dump (semi-transparent) = dump + y

The adjectival formation is clear (dump + -y), but the extension to 'short and thick-set' is a figurative/semantic shift not directly obvious from 'dump'.

Etymology

Dumpy can also describe something short and thick. A helpful way to remember this is to think of dump as 'to drop down' so dumpy feels 'low and heavy', which is why it describes a person or thing that looks short and heavy.