as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
spindly, underfed dogs roamed the poverty-stricken village
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spindly
The spindly, 18-inch-tall stalk has tiny white flowers.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Evolution has adapted the digits of mammals for an enormous range of uses, from our opposable thumbs to the spindly digits that support bat wings to the robust bones that support the hoofs of horses.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In a spare dining room with concrete ceilings and spindly pendant lights, chef-owners Maria Teresa Gallina and Nicolas Martinez serve only what excites them most.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Light pruning can be done again in the fall to remove spindly branches that could break under snow or ice.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Evolution has adapted the digits of mammals for an enormous range of uses, from our opposable thumbs to the spindly digits that support bat wings to the robust bones that support the hoofs of horses.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In a spare dining room with concrete ceilings and spindly pendant lights, chef-owners Maria Teresa Gallina and Nicolas Martinez serve only what excites them most.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Light pruning can be done again in the fall to remove spindly branches that could break under snow or ice.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
Adjective
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And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Test Kitchen Tips For a neater appearance, choose bacon that comes in long, skinny strips.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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The shoes featured a pointed-toe silhouette and skinny 105mm heel.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Santa Clarita Hart High graduate has great stuff, and has shown comparable compete, but many in the Jays’ formidable order are familiar with the lanky right-hander who pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League for six seasons.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
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Instead, there is golden boy Aaron, WWII pilot Toby, short king Iain, lanky Disney prince Tom, and Jasmine, for whom there are no words.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The moon is glimmering, the veil between worlds is thin and there’s an air of mischief lingering in the shadows.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Card Case Speaking of only keeping the essentials on hand, this ultra-thin card case is an excellent replacement for a bulky, overstuffed wallet when traveling.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 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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An injured knee sidelined Misiorowski for the season, but Lallemand still considered the gangly teenager part of the team.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Brown had a gangly, disproportionate wingspan, great for ball-hawking (in basketball and football) but potentially obstructive to shooting mechanics.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Find mix-and-match patterns, sculptural light fixtures, and sleek furniture, whether that’s the look-at-me bar in green, or the slender modernist seats.—
Chadner Navarro,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
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But Ballad of a Small Player—adapted by Rowan Joffe from Lawrence Osborne’s novel—doesn’t give you much to hang onto besides style, and even those pleasures are slender.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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