as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
spindly, underfed dogs roamed the poverty-stricken village
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Recent Examples of spindly
Snaking through the salons of an old Paris mansion, the circuitous catwalk is marked with bundles of spindly wood branches and vibrant floral blooms, adornments that add an ethereal air to the silk-stocking grandeur.
—
Courtney Crowder, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
The spindly youngster is at the beginning of a journey that will successively turn him into one of the most promising, one of the most unfortunate, one of the most maddening and ultimately one of the most celebrated football players in the world.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Gone were the spindly metal chairs and wobbly tables just unwelcoming enough to discourage lingering.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 May 2025
The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made big strides each season after that.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Courtney Crowder, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
The spindly youngster is at the beginning of a journey that will successively turn him into one of the most promising, one of the most unfortunate, one of the most maddening and ultimately one of the most celebrated football players in the world.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Gone were the spindly metal chairs and wobbly tables just unwelcoming enough to discourage lingering.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 May 2025
The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made big strides each season after that.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
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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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
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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
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Riley is a lanky 19-year-old who stands 6-foot-8 and came in at just 185 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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In a thin free agent class that’s getting thinner by the minute, there are Ehlers and Boeser (Mitch Marner is expected to go to Vegas, though Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Leafs are rattling their sabers about potential tampering by the Golden Knights) at the top.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
30 June 2025
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The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
16 Oct. 2024
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Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
3 Nov. 2023
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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Nolan Traoré, France An intriguing but very slender point guard, the 6-3 teenager should be a first-rounder.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
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Lively became mostly famous for, well, being Blake Lively: tall, slender, beautiful, and suspiciously perfect — a patron saint for the Instagram age.—
David Mack,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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