lithesome

1 8.8

A person or animal that moves easily with a thin, flexible body

adjective
/ˈlɪθsəm/

: delgado

With his lithesome body, the gymnast excelled in routines that required flexibility and agility.

Examples

"Nat bevin, the band's lithesome new bassist, "exudes the cool, seen-this-all-before air, "of the kid at the side of the class who everyone unquestioningly likes and respects."

Global Heresy (2002)
Her lithesome figure allowed her to perform complex yoga poses effortlessly.
The dancer moved with a lithesome grace that captivated the entire audience.

Synonyms

slender

vslithesome

64 1.4

Thin and graceful in shape

stresses supple movement and ease as well as graceful thinness

supple

vslithesome

22 3.7

Able to bend or move easily and smoothly

focuses more on graceful thinness plus movement ability, not only flexibility

light

vslithesome

19 1.4

Moving quickly and easily with grace

adds a stronger sense of thin supple grace beyond mere nimbleness or quickness

lithe

vslithesome

10 7.5

Thin and able to move easily and gracefully like a dancer

is the same overall but may emphasize flexible bending slightly more

sinuous

vslithesome

5 7.4

Shows many smooth, flowing curves like a snake or river

focuses more on overall slenderness and general suppleness rather than curves

willowy

vslithesome

4 6.4

Slim and graceful in a way that looks attractive

emphasizes graceful thinness with an added focus on supple movement

lissome

vslithesome

Literature

1 9.0

Having a slim, flexible body and moving easily and smoothly

is slightly more about balanced thinness and general movement ability

lightsome

vslithesome

Archaic

1 9.9

Moving easily and gracefully like a dancer

highlights graceful thinness and flexible movement rather than light buoyancy

lissom

vslithesome

Archaic

1 9.2

A person or thing that has a thin, flexible shape and moves with easy grace

is identical in meaning here, matching thinness and easy graceful movement

lithe-bodied

vslithesome

7.9

A person or animal with a thin, flexible body that moves gracefully

is like this but applies equally to movements as well as body form

Antonyms

clumsy

95 1.2

Moving in an awkward, unsteady way that causes accidents

ungainly

7 7.3

Moving or looking awkward and clumsy

How Graceful

graceful

80 2.8

lithesome

1 8.8

lithe

10 7.5

nimble

22 4.4

agile

26 3.7

Surface Forms

lithesome positive

Morphology

lithesome = lithe (semi-transparent) = lithe + some

Formed from 'lithe' plus the adjectival suffix '-some' (meaning 'characterized by'); the relation is clear but the suffix is somewhat archaic/poetic, so a learner might not fully predict usage.

Etymology

The word lithesome comes from the old English word lithe, meaning 'flexible', and the ending -some, meaning 'full of'. So lithesome literally means 'full of flexibility', which is why we use it for a thin, graceful person who moves with ease.