1
as in stout
being compact and broad in build and often short in stature
dumpy little toddlers growing into lanky children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
we could only find rooms at a dumpy motel on the outskirts of the city
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dumpy
At the start of the production, when Blanche arrives at her sister’s dumpy apartment, a lithe young man (Jabez Sykes) contorts himself in abstract choreography.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
In context, Franklin was critiquing a rather dumpy drawing of an eagle lacking a regal beak by the Society of the Cincinnati, which had adopted the nation’s bird as its symbol.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
In the premiere, Martha is made to look as dumpy and pathetic—and then as unhinged—as possible.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
In fact, it was released during the slightly less dumpy dump month of February — on February 13, 1991, with nationwide sneak previews on February 2, 1991.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dumpy
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
In context, Franklin was critiquing a rather dumpy drawing of an eagle lacking a regal beak by the Society of the Cincinnati, which had adopted the nation’s bird as its symbol.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
In the premiere, Martha is made to look as dumpy and pathetic—and then as unhinged—as possible.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
In fact, it was released during the slightly less dumpy dump month of February — on February 13, 1991, with nationwide sneak previews on February 2, 1991.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumpy
Adjective
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Zilpha still thought of Jaron as a man of Cornish hedges, although his work was with Charles Upchurch Sway Partners (CUSP), a hedge fund operated from a central trunk in Lausanne and its stout branch in New York.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
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Always stout in playing the run, Sieler then added the interior pass rush to his game over the past two seasons.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
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Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Put it on before bed to wake up with hydrated, plump, and glowing skin.—
Averi Baudler,
People.com,
25 Aug. 2025
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This viral scientific mission even included a plump starfish resembling a beloved cartoon character.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Same premise as the exterior, but even more important: Don’t buy a car with a neglected interior.—
Jimmy Camp,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
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Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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With the costume’s feet at knee-level, an elevated stage (and smoke machine) helped give the appearance that Klum was walking around on E.T.’s characteristically stumpy legs.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN,
1 Nov. 2024
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The heron turns out to be a stumpy man in a costume.—
Moeko Fujii,
The New Yorker,
2 May 2024
Adjective
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During the poker game, Bowyer and one of his friends, a stocky guy named Michael Greenberg who had been a fixture at those long-ago high school poker games, began talking to a man seated at the card table.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
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Briggs is a short and stocky interior defender who has short arms, but can be a contributor to the Jets’ rushing defense.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Alchemist became known for his sample-heavy work, often mining disco, soul and R&B records from the 1970s and 1980s for snippets that became the foundations of his sturdy but atmospheric productions.—
Christine Werthman,
Billboard,
14 Aug. 2025
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The bottoms have a sturdy rubber sole with traction that grips the ground, which is also helpful for unpredictable fall weather.—
Nicol Natale,
People.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the hands were too thick and the fingers were too stubby, and then some were too thin and the fingers were too long.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Butler is a victim of a sinister moral panic, one in which small and jealous spirits tore down the highest targets their stubby little souls could reach.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumpy. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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