lankier; lankiest
: ungracefully tall and thin
lankily adverb
lankiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for lanky

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

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

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Examples of lanky in a Sentence

the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Again, lanky centers tend to need time to develop physically. Josh Robbins, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025 The lanky redhead also recently appeared in an episode of Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne. Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025 There was always an odd, lanky goofiness to DiCaprio’s physical presence even at the start of his career, but it was overwhelmed by his rapid rise to heartthrob status in films like Romeo + Juliet and Titanic. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025 The lanky midfielder impacted the game by always being in the right place, rarely making mistakes, keeping the game simple with neat, tidy ball recoveries and pinpoint passes through spaces others rarely saw. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lanky

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lanky was circa 1818

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lanky. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

lanky

adjective
lankier; lankiest
: being tall, thin, and usually loose-jointed
a lanky teenager
lankily adverb
lankiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lanky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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