as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball
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Recent Examples of gangly
The plant will continue growing in a gangly, unkept way until it is moved to a location with at least 8 hours of direct sunlight.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024
The Spurs listed the gangly 20-year-old Frenchman at 235 pounds on their training camp roster, an increase of 5 pounds from his weight listed on the team's roster for its season finale in April.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024
Nate leaps into action-hero mode, and the film’s mayhem blowouts include a multi-weapon melee in a restaurant kitchen, leaving our gangly hero horribly burned but quite chipper about it, since his adversary is less fortunate.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Bringing a skittish, awkward energy that contrasted with Letterman’s deadpan persona, O’Brien constantly made fun of his own gangly appearance and inappropriateness for the job.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangly
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024
The Spurs listed the gangly 20-year-old Frenchman at 235 pounds on their training camp roster, an increase of 5 pounds from his weight listed on the team's roster for its season finale in April.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Oct. 2024
Nate leaps into action-hero mode, and the film’s mayhem blowouts include a multi-weapon melee in a restaurant kitchen, leaving our gangly hero horribly burned but quite chipper about it, since his adversary is less fortunate.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Bringing a skittish, awkward energy that contrasted with Letterman’s deadpan persona, O’Brien constantly made fun of his own gangly appearance and inappropriateness for the job.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangly
Adjective
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While Kahn was on the GLP-1 bandwagon earlier than most, her story has become the norm for those using weight loss drugs, finding their skin is looser and their face is more gaunt, creating a wealth of opportunity across the beauty ecosphere.—
Emily Burns,
Footwear News,
7 May 2025
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Egon Schiele had his thing for gaunt girls and their undergarments.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the 17-year-old’s lanky 6ft 3in (190cm) frame and composure on the ball stood out and his return is eagerly awaited.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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At 6-3, 191 pounds, Campbell presents a lanky frame in the middle of the infield or in the outfield.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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She was dressed for vacation in a sheer white long sleeve mini dress and slides, while the realtor wore a casual travel-day combo of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and sneakers.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
13 May 2025
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Ball is too inattentive on that end despite his impressive offensive skill set, and Miller is quite skinny and struggles to wall up on opposing guards and wings through his core.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made big strides each season after that.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Keep in mind, in the world of asparagus, thin and spindly is not always better than thick and chunky.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The tall and rangy Lincoln, strengthened by physical labor, was an expert wrestler who was not afraid of bullies.—
John Baldoni,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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Carlies, a 2024 fifth-round pick, showed promise as a rangy linebacker.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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While Paul is still remarkably good for someone at his experience level, the novelty of his act has been wearing thin.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
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And was there ever, complete with Angus Young, knobby knees and thin ankles, scampering, duck-walking and hopping from place to place.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
16 Oct. 2024
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Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
3 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Gangly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangly. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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