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lanky

lanky

19 4.0
A person who is tall and thin with long arms and legs that look a little awkward
  • adjective
  • /ˈlæŋki/
translation icon : desgarbado
  • With his lanky frame and awkward gait, he was often the target of teasing at school.
  • lanky man
  • tall and lanky

And so they become lanky and lean, right?

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Examples

  • The poor lanky kid who rose from the streets of Brooklyn to the Major Leagues.

  • Eamon was tall and lanky, with an ever-present stubble staining his gaunt cheeks.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Have you ever seen a human that lanky, Josh?

  • And so they become lanky and lean, right?

  • As Charlie walks by, FRED, a lanky customer in his late teens, is buying a book.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Tall, lean, and lanky like her father, though without his muscles.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I think he's the tall, lanky kid with anime eyes.

  • After some moments, he reappeared, a pair of lanky boys in tow.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Mr. Daisane is a lanky 29-year-old with an easy smile.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Tourists, apparently, looking admiringly at a disheveled, youngish man, lanky and a little underweight.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

gangly
vslanky
9 6.1

Being tall and thin with long, awkward arms and legs

emphasizes the general tall thin shape rather than movement
rangy
vslanky
4 7.2

Tall and thin with long arms and legs

often implies an awkward or loosely built look rather than simple slenderness
lank
vslanky
1 7.4

Long, thin, and limp, often about hair or a person's body

describes tall thin with awkward loose build rather than limp softness
stalky
vslanky
1 5.9

Being tall and thin with long awkward arms and legs

focuses more on a loosely built awkward overall appearance
ectomorphic
vslanky
  • Specialized
1 9.1

Having a very thin body with little fat or muscle and long arms and legs

adds an idea of awkward, loosely built appearance rather than body type
gangling
vslanky
8.0

A tall thin person who moves awkwardly

stresses awkward look as part of a loosely built body

Antonyms

49 2.8

Having strong, well-developed muscles

20 2.8

Short and wide in body with a solid build

Compounds

1 4.9

A tall thin body that looks awkward or loosely built

How Lanky

gangly
9 6.1
lanky
19 4.0
willowy
4 6.4
slender
57 1.4
slim
60 1.0

Surface Forms

lanky positive
lankier comparative
lankiest superlative

Morphology

lanky = lank (transparent) = lank + y

Productively formed from the adjective 'lank' plus the adjectival suffix '-y', yielding a predictable meaning 'having the quality of lank'.

Etymology

Lanky comes from an old word lank that meant 'long'. So thinking of someone as 'long' helps remember that lanky describes a person who is tall and thin with long arms and legs.