Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

roly–poly

play
adjective ro·ly–po·ly \ˌrō-lē-ˈpō-lē\

Definition of roly–poly

  1. :  being short and pudgy :  rotund

See roly–poly defined for English-language learners

See roly–poly defined for kids

People Are Reading

weird-rhyming-words-hocus-pocus
The Joy of Reduplicative Rhyming Words
alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder
image1458426927
Good Words for Strong Flavors
steve-bannon
Trending: Bannon: One of Us is Going to be a 'Hegemon'

Origin and Etymology of roly–poly

reduplication of roly, from 2roll

roly–poly Synonyms

Synonyms
blubbery, chubby, corpulent, fleshy, full, gross, lardy, obese, overweight, plump, podgy [chiefly British], portly, pudgy, replete, roly-poly, rotund, round, tubby
Antonyms
lean, skinny, slender, slim, spare, thin
Related Words
beefy, bulky, chunky, heavy, heavyset, plumpish, stocky, stout, thick, thickset, weighty; brawny, burly, hefty, husky; dumpy, squat, stubby; hippy, paunchy, potbellied; flabby, soft; ample, buxom, corn-fed, ripe, zaftig (also zoftig); endomorphic
Near Antonyms
angular, bony (also boney), gaunt, lank, lanky, rawboned, sinewy; cadaverous, emaciated, haggard, pinched, skeletal, wasted; puny, scraggy, scrawny, slight; rangy, reedy, spindling, spindly, stringy, svelte, sylphlike, twiggy, waspish, weedy, willowy; ectomorphic; anorexic
2

roly–poly

noun ro·ly–po·ly

Definition of roly–poly

plural

roly–polies

  1. 1 :  a roly-poly person or thing

  2. 2 British :  a sweet dough spread with a filling, rolled, and baked or steamed —called also roly-poly pudding

See roly–poly defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of roly–poly

1836

Phrases Related to ROLY–POLY

Related Phrases

ROLY–POLY Defined for English Language Learners

roly-poly

play
adjective

Definition of roly–poly for English Language Learners

  • : short and fat

roly-poly

noun

Definition of roly–poly for English Language Learners

  • : a sweet dough that is spread with jam, rolled up, and baked or steamed

Learn More about roly–poly

  1. See words that rhyme with roly–poly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up roly–poly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

oppugn

play

to fight against or to call in question

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  2. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  3. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  4. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  5. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Rocky Mountain red cedar

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game