Synonyms of lanky

lanky

adjective

ˈlaŋ-kē 

as in gaunt

being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed

the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gaunt
• skinny
• spindly
• gangling
• rangy
• thin
• gangly
• slender
• bony
• scrawny
• lean
• angular
• lank
• wiry
• rawboned
• spindling
• willowy
• scraggy
• weedy
• boney
• reedy
• slim
• stringy
• spidery
• twiggy
• waspish
• racy
• spare
• spindle-legged
• spindle-shanked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stocky
• pudgy
• chubby
• stubby
• bulky
• stumpy
• beefy
• heavyset
• sturdy
• stout
• thickset
• chunky
• squat
• weighty
• plump
• rotund
• corpulent
• portly
• overweight
• obese
• fleshy
• tubby
• fat
• full
• round
• gross
• muscle-bound
• roly-poly

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective lanky contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of lanky are gaunt, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When can gaunt be used instead of lanky?

Although the words gaunt and lanky have much in common, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than lanky?

The synonyms lank and lanky are sometimes interchangeable, but lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When would lean be a good substitute for lanky?

The words lean and lanky can be used in similar contexts, but lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When could rawboned be used to replace lanky?

While in some cases nearly identical to lanky, rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of lanky?

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

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Where would spare be a reasonable alternative to lanky?

The meanings of spare and lanky largely overlap; however, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lanky

When Wade had entered the league, baggy, untucked dress shirts and oversize suits were the style on draft night; on game days, players draped 5XL sweat suits and Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys over their lanky frames. —D. Watkins, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025

Cops recovered video of the lanky, mustachioed suspect following one of the attacks. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025

The physical comedy is top-tier — especially when Cumming leans into his lanky goofiness and Hodgson exaggerates Montagu's buffoonish nature. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025

The three of them—all in their early twenties and playing the sort of moody, rickety guitar rock typically made by lanky white men—became fast friends. —Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025