as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lanky
With his wavy brown hair, standing a lanky 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, Grant Solomon looked the part of a pitcher.
—
Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 8 May 2025
Having lived in Paris with Richardson on and off since late 1921, Hemingway was a struggling writer who could be spotted scribbling in Left Bank cafés—a tall, lanky Midwesterner with unkempt hair, wearing sneakers, old trousers and a patched jacket.
—Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
The Ducks selected the lanky center (6-foot-5, 198 pounds) 10th overall in the first round of the NHL draft on Friday, making the Brandon Wheat Kings pivot the 11th forward in the Ducks’ past 14 selections and their third straight top pick up front.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 28 June 2025
A little lanky, O’Brien could use some strengthening, especially in his lower body, that would improve his skating.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 8 May 2025
Having lived in Paris with Richardson on and off since late 1921, Hemingway was a struggling writer who could be spotted scribbling in Left Bank cafés—a tall, lanky Midwesterner with unkempt hair, wearing sneakers, old trousers and a patched jacket.
—Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
The Ducks selected the lanky center (6-foot-5, 198 pounds) 10th overall in the first round of the NHL draft on Friday, making the Brandon Wheat Kings pivot the 11th forward in the Ducks’ past 14 selections and their third straight top pick up front.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 28 June 2025
A little lanky, O’Brien could use some strengthening, especially in his lower body, that would improve his skating.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
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In addition to a very gaunt appearance, other symptoms include: Extreme weakness Thin, dry skin with excess skin folds due to loss of fat Sparse, brittle hair that can be easily plucked out 8.—
Jonathan Purtell,
Verywell Health,
13 June 2025
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Recent photos of Bieber out and about show him looking gaunt and disappearing into his clothes.—
Shirley Halperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Nothing fires up Google’s algorithm quite like talk of the return of skinny jeans, but for fall/winter 2025 designers are conspiring to relaunch another dormant Noughties trend: slouchy boho boots that puddle around the ankles and fold over the calves.—
Emma Spedding,
Vogue,
24 July 2025
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Many have been quick to draw a connective throughline between the revival of trends like skinny jeans and bandage dress with the increasing accessibility of Ozempic and other GLP-1 injectables.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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Overall, his spindly frame needs some filling out to help in battles, even though he’s shown a willingness to stick his nose into those.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
23 June 2025
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Her long, spindly body operates in an anticipatory arch, her body gliding across the pitch in long, laboured strides until igniting into a blur, a combination of ferocity and grace.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
Adjective
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He’s got some wiry strength and power with room to fill out and add lean muscle mass to a very rangy frame.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
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With two right-handers due up near the bottom of the Nationals’ lefty-heavy lineup, Estrada was called first and worked a 1-2-3 eighth with help from a rangy play by Wade.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Cover it with a thin layer of topsoil or compost to cover the seeds.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
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The market is thin in run-producing bats, and O'Hearn not only fills that need but is versatile enough to play the corner outfield spots as well.—
Hunter Mulholland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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And for the current Bulls front office, that prototype is crystal clear — gangly, teenage wings who offer the potential of versatile playmaking in a raw, unproven package.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
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But a local coach nicknamed Taha noticed a gangly, tall-for-his-age 7-year-old and invited him to play for the AAU program Banneker Kings.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Anya Taylor-Joy, imperiously slender and with devouring eyes, has a porcelain haughtiness that doesn’t quite work as Emma Woodhouse — at least not for me.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
19 July 2025
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Those garments included curvaceous jackets with jodhpurs and slender gowns cut from both light-absorbing velvet and light reflecting satin. At Chanel, meanwhile, the dark hue was used for military suits in nubby tweeds.—
Ari Stark,
Footwear News,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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