gangly

adjective

gan·​gly ˈgaŋ-glē 

ganglier; gangliest

1

a

: tall and thin and moving with a loose-jointed awkwardness : lanky, gangling

It is a cool night in San Jose, and gangly teenagers stream toward the Gunderson gym.

—Chris Ballard

b

: long and thin

His linen suit was appropriately rumpled … and his gangly legs were jacked up against the glove box, as he resisted suggestions to slide his seat back.

—Cara Buckley

2

of a plant : having a tall and sparse appearance : lacking fullness

These tall (to 8 feet), sometimes gangly shrubs bear cup-shaped, strong-scented flowers.

—Michael MacCaskey

Synonyms of gangly

• gaunt
• lanky
• gangling
• skinny
• spindly
• rangy
• thin
• bony

Examples of gangly in a Sentence

a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball

Recent Examples on the Web

Almost immediately, the long legs, tail, and gangly frame didn’t match that breed. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

Later that year, shortly before I was born, Murphy -- then a gangly catcher with an erratic arm and power at the plate -- made his major league debut. —Rick Klein, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025

The gangly frame that should not be able to stand, propped up by rods unseen in the dark. —Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 30 Oct. 2025

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

Word History

Etymology

probably from gangl(ing) + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

gangly

adjective

gan·​gly ˈgaŋ-glē 

ganglier; gangliest

: loosely and awkwardly built : lanky