GANGLY Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

gangly

adjective

ˈgaŋ-glē

Definition of gangly

as in gaunt

being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of gangly What to know about wood storks These gangly birds are sometimes called flintheads or ironheads because of their distinctive heads and necks. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026 War was coming, but for her father, Eberhard, then a gangly teenager, life in Hawaii was an endless summer. — David Martin, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025 Almost immediately, the long legs, tail, and gangly frame didn’t match that breed. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025 Later that year, shortly before I was born, Murphy -- then a gangly catcher with an erratic arm and power at the plate -- made his major league debut. — Rick Klein, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gangly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangly

Adjective

The church’s punishment, however, delivered in front of the congregants, is an eerie ritual performed by a gaunt, severe visitor (Nicholas Hope).

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of gaunt

Adjective

His junior season, though, is when that lanky frame finally filled out.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
Six days after the Yankees' first 15 batters couldn't get a hit off Bennett, the lanky left-hander retired the Angels' first 13 batters before Vaughn Grissom's fifth-inning single.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

Granny jeans are a stylish alternative to skinny jeans and flare jeans.

— René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 17 July 2026
We're used to seeing the Galaxy Z Fold in a tall-and-skinny chassis, but this time around, whispers are growing louder about a new passport-style shape that's more reminiscent of the first-generation Google Pixel Fold.

— Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026

Definition of skinny

Adjective

Across this paradise the finch-like honeycreeper flits, feeding off the red spindly flowers of the evergreen ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Too few nutrients, or not enough fertilizer, for petunias looks like leggy, spindly growth, pale color, few or no blooms, and slow growth.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026

Definition of spindly

Adjective

There are promising players still in the pipeline, such as Hobey Baker winner Max Plante (2024 second round), rangy right-shot defenseman Anton Johansson (2022 fourth round) and goaltender Trey Augustine (2023 second round).

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026
The rangy 6-foot-7 wing out of Florida State had a slow start in the California Classic in San Francisco, but seems to have found his scoring stride in Las Vegas.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 17 July 2026

Definition of rangy

Adjective

It is composed of extremely thin layers of iron selenide, or FeSe, which are embedded repeatedly throughout a much larger three-dimensional crystal.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026
Those areas are likely be less impressive in the thin air of the vehicle’s namesake town.

— James Raia, Mercury News, 19 July 2026

Definition of thin

Browse Nearby Words

gangling

gangly

gangrene

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“Gangly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangly. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of gangly

adjective

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