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
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Recent Examples of gangly
The gangly frame that should not be able to stand, propped up by rods unseen in the dark.
—
Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 30 Oct. 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
Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 30 Oct. 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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Nitibhon, a Thai supermodel, plays her tycoon as comically drab, keeping her gaunt cheeks slack to emphasize her character’s hollowness.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Regina was standing by the window now, looking even more gaunt under the artificial light of the bulb behind her and the faint glow of the sunrise in front, which barely managed to filter through the balcony awning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Fortunately for the Tomcats, the lanky Cross has emerged as a team leader capable of doing some heavy lifting, figuratively speaking.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Also on the good side of things is Sean Bell’s lanky Sir Robin, the not-quite-so-brave, armor-soiling knight.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Even her brows, the quintessential ’90s skinny brow, were left untouched.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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The straight-leg jeans The debate between skinny and wide-leg denim rages on, but straight-leg jeans have quietly emerged as the middle ground pretty much everyone loves.—
India Roby,
Glamour,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When growing basil indoors on a sunny windowsill, give pots a quarter turn weekly to expose all sides to the sun and ensure seedlings won't be pale and spindly.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2026
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There dense clouds of dust and spindly filaments of cold molecular gas, the basic matter from which stars form, encircle the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And while Ransom was productive as a rookie, his physical set is more like Tre’von Moehrig’s than that of a rangy free safety who can roam the back end.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Jones is a physical wing defender with a rangy wingspan, but his aggressiveness got the best of him.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Expanding its computing lineup, HONOR will unveil the MagicPad4 tablet and MagicBook Pro 14 laptop, both built to demonstrate how AI-powered features can boost productivity while retaining ultra-thin designs.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
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Lopez accessorized with a thin belt, boots, and a black handbag, as well as some gold hoops.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 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 2 Mar. 2026.
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