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
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
An injured knee sidelined Misiorowski for the season, but Lallemand still considered the gangly teenager part of the team.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Between them, the gangly mods kept alive the fading tradition of feuding musical geniuses, a path that Paul McCartney and John Lennon had paved before them.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, at 6-foot-5 but hiding it under a gangly posture, the Australian star can seem younger than his 28 years.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangly
Rick Klein, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025
An injured knee sidelined Misiorowski for the season, but Lallemand still considered the gangly teenager part of the team.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Between them, the gangly mods kept alive the fading tradition of feuding musical geniuses, a path that Paul McCartney and John Lennon had paved before them.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, at 6-foot-5 but hiding it under a gangly posture, the Australian star can seem younger than his 28 years.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangly
Adjective
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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
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Gilbert, now imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, appeared gaunt and withdrawn during the interview, at times mumbling short responses before abruptly cutting the conversation short.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Green's first two seasons in college went according to script and the lanky downfield threat was as good as advertised, earning first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back years.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
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There might have been a little fear of a 6-foot-6 lanky kid who was looking pretty solid.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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While wide-leg pants aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, slim, skinny, and cigarette jeans are staging a huge comeback this year.—
India Roby,
Glamour,
8 June 2026
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Abbott matched in a black tux and skinny tie.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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The Sheep’s Head Way sits on one of southwest Ireland’s most spindly peninsulas — just 19 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, yet packing 150 kilometers of hill walks inside it.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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Sheep’s Head Way, Ireland The Sheep’s Head Way sits on one of the most spindly peninsulas in southwest Ireland.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Fonseca’s power came to the fore as the game neared its conclusion with the rangy Brazilian’s serves becoming more and more dominant.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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Adding electrifying, productive winger Nikolaj Ehlers and rangy, do-everything defenseman K’Andre Miller helped Carolina turn that dial to the right.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The worst place at a factory to work for was always the screen-printing department—the hot metal and lacquer thinner produce pungent toxins that workers have no choice but to inhale.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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While knee-high boots are ideal for a concert or a shopping day, don’t be afraid to go casual via thin sneakers or flip-flops.—
India Roby,
Glamour,
8 June 2026
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 11 Jun. 2026.
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