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rangy

3 7.2

Tall and thin with long arms and legs

adjective
/ˈreɪn.dʒi/

: esbelto

Where Marta was compact and voluptuous, this woman was rangy and angular.
tall and rangy
a rangy man
lean and rangy

Examples

The model was strikingly rangy, with long limbs that highlighted her elegant walk on the runway.
Arabel was tall and rangy, with striking gray-white hair that looked premature.

Fiction book (1998)
I always thought he had great ball skills and a long, rangy frame to make plays.

Blog text (15)
Adam was going to be tall and on the lean, rangy side.

Fiction book (2002)
Janie is a rangy woman.

Fiction book (1995)
Though tall, rangy, and a formidable presence, she was also feminine.

Fiction book (1992)
Louisa Mae Cardinal, twelve years old, tall and rangy, her hair the color of sun-dappled straw and her eyes blue, was known simply as Lou.

Fiction book (2001)
In the semifinals, I had to play the Aspen Meadows pro (and tournament organizer), a tall, rangy athletic type named Lefty Brinkman.

Academic text (1991)
At the basketball tryouts, the selection committee favored tall and athletic players, especially those who were rangy and agile on the court.
He stood out in the crowd for his rangy frame, which gave him a unique presence at the art exhibition.

Synonyms

lanky

vsrangy

21 4.0

A person who is tall and thin with long arms and legs that look a little awkward

is less about awkwardness and more about long slender limbs

spindly

vsrangy

11 6.2

Long, thin, and looking weak, often said about plants or people

means long slender limbs without implying fragility or weakness

gangly

vsrangy

10 6.1

Being tall and thin with long, awkward arms and legs

highlights long slender limbs without the strong awkward sense

leggy

vsrangy

7 4.6

A person or animal with long legs compared to the rest of the body

emphasizes overall long slender limbs rather than just long legs

willowy

vsrangy

4 6.4

Slim and graceful in a way that looks attractive

is similar but is more neutral and less overtly graceful

boney

vsrangy

2 3.4

Thin so you can see or feel the bones

describes slender long limbs rather than visible bony structure

stringy

vsrangy

1 6.2

Thin and muscular with little fat

focuses on limb length and thinness rather than muscular leanness

skinny as a rail

vsrangy

Informal

1 7.0

Very thin person with little or no fat

is tall and thin specifically because of long, slender limbs

twiggy

vsrangy

1 6.0

Very thin in a way that looks like a small branch

focuses more on limb length and slenderness than tiny thinness

stalky

vsrangy

1 5.9

Being tall and thin with long awkward arms and legs

focuses on long, slender limbs rather than awkward appearance

gangling

vsrangy

1 8.0

A tall thin person who moves awkwardly

describes the same thin build but without marked clumsiness

thin-bodied

vsrangy

1 4.5

An animal or object with a slim, narrow body

narrows that idea by stressing long, slender limbs

slender-bodied

vsrangy

1 4.6

Having a long thin body

adds the idea of long, slender limbs rather than just slim torso

Antonyms

short

∞ 1.0

Not long in distance, height, or time

stocky

20 2.8

Short and wide in body with a solid build

How Lanky

gangly

10 6.1

rangy

3 7.2

lanky

21 4.0

slender

64 1.4

Surface Forms

rangy positive

Morphology

rangy = range (semi-transparent) = range + y

The sense 'tall and thin' is a metaphorical extension from 'having range/long reach' to long-limbed build, so the relation is partially inferable but not fully direct.

Etymology

Rangy comes from the word range meaning 'reach' or 'span', with the ending -y meaning 'full of'. That's why a rangy person is tall and thin, as if their arms and legs can reach far.