Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective lanky contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of lanky are gaunt, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When can gaunt be used instead of lanky?

Although the words gaunt and lanky have much in common, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than lanky?

The synonyms lank and lanky are sometimes interchangeable, but lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When would lean be a good substitute for lanky?

The words lean and lanky can be used in similar contexts, but lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When could rawboned be used to replace lanky?

While in some cases nearly identical to lanky, rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of lanky?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Where would spare be a reasonable alternative to lanky?

The meanings of spare and lanky largely overlap; however, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lanky The lanky, 6-foot-7 fireballer made his big league debut, taking the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, after getting called up from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds on Tuesday. Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025 And there are other possibilities, especially at the center position, like Soo Greyhound Brady Martin, the Brandon Wheat Kings’ lanky pivot Roger McQueen, Moncton’s Caleb Desnoyer and even Boston College’s James Hagens, who was projected to go first overall at the start of the season. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 6 June 2025 Repeatability isn’t always the easiest thing for tall pitchers, but Lagrange seems to be maximizing his lanky frame thus far. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 June 2025 Groom hanging baskets by removing old flowers and lanky shoots. Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
  • 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
  • Recent photos of Bieber out and about show him looking gaunt and disappearing into his clothes.
    Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Jamie has a big head, like a baby, and skinny limbs; his flashes of menace have the horror-movie quality of an evil doll.
    Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • As a departure from the era of plain skinny ties, Lauren's wide, colorful neckties broke the mold, and his company grew from there.
    Diane J. Cho, People.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Spiderwort can become spindly in deep shade or dry out in the sun, making partial sun just the spot for it in the South.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • His profile is suited to exploiting the space on the transition: a rangy dribbler out wide with a knack for arriving in dangerous areas to finish.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Series 10 is also thinner, lighter, easier to wear, and charges faster than previous models.
    Adrienne So, Wired News, 12 July 2025
  • Often, the first real cracks appear in prime borrowers who were stretched thin, quietly falling behind while headlines focus on everything else.
    Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
  • As Artaserse, Kim’s performance took some time to ripen on Friday, his voice sometimes vanishingly slender and lagging behind the orchestra in his first aria to Semira.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
  • Here again, binoculars will prove most beneficial in helping to find not only Pollux and Castor, but this exceedingly slender lunar sliver.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 24 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

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