Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective lanky contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of lanky are gaunt, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When can gaunt be used instead of lanky?

Although the words gaunt and lanky have much in common, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than lanky?

The synonyms lank and lanky are sometimes interchangeable, but lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When would lean be a good substitute for lanky?

The words lean and lanky can be used in similar contexts, but lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When could rawboned be used to replace lanky?

While in some cases nearly identical to lanky, rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of lanky?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Where would spare be a reasonable alternative to lanky?

The meanings of spare and lanky largely overlap; however, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

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 lanky Groom hanging baskets by removing old flowers and lanky shoots. Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025 The lanky midfielder impressed the German to the point of being taken on a preseason tour of the United States. Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 Swapping sunny California for the Austrian Alps (and Masha's lanky blonde locks for an icy bob), the season finds Masha overseeing a new batch of strangers eager to overcome their anxieties, traumas, and struggles back home. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 May 2025 There’s something about a lanky, underappreciated guard with a wonky shooting form and a clutch gene that Hoosiers appreciate. Zak Keefer, New York Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
  • In addition to a very gaunt appearance, other symptoms include: Extreme weakness Thin, dry skin with excess skin folds due to loss of fat Sparse, brittle hair that can be easily plucked out 8.
    Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 13 June 2025
  • Recent photos of Bieber out and about show him looking gaunt and disappearing into his clothes.
    Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Trying to shove your lower leg into something like skinny jeans or a condom could end up cutting off blood flow, which clearly would not be good for your calf.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • Each wave of skinny fixation has echoed like a cultural recoil — a shrinking aesthetic that emerges just as women expand their influence Advertisement But something is shifting.
    Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Planting sun-loving plants in a shady site usually results in plants with spindly growth and few, if any, flowers.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
  • But the tall, spindly lander face-planted in a crater near the moon's south pole and was declared dead within hours.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Although cornerback wasn’t necessarily a position of need, Thomas is a long, rangy player who can be effective in both the run and pass game.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
  • On Friday night, in addition to Bech — who has no issue getting dirty in the blocking game — the Raiders added Darien Porter out of Iowa State, a rangy corner with upside (sound familiar to Carroll’s Seattle days?).
    Zak Keefer, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2025
  • There is some thought that Epenesa could be an expendable player via trade ahead of final cuts, but that would leave them fairly thin given that Hoecht is suspended for the first six games and Bosa has a lengthy injury history, and already has one minor injury to his name since joining the Bills.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Some people hate nandina, but that’s the old varieties that get humongous and gangly.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 30 May 2025
  • Piani did the right thing in casting Rutherford, whose physical embodiment of Agathe suggests a tall, gangly, striking woman trying not to be seen.
    Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Consequently, the rollers became more and more narrow, until all that remained was a slender bar capped on both ends by large discs.
    Kai James, The Conversation, 11 June 2025
  • Taper: Taper candles are long, slender candles with a wider base and a narrow top.
    Maya Handelsman, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

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