Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

lanky

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of lanky

being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed

  • the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking
Synonyms of lanky

gangling, gangly, rangy, spindling, spindly
Words Related to lanky

angular, bony (also boney), gaunt, lank, rawboned, scraggy, scrawny, skinny

lean, slender, slim, spare, thin

racy, reedy, spidery, stringy, twiggy, waspish, weedy, willowy, wiry

spindle-legged, spindle-shanked
Near Antonyms of lanky

beefy, bulky, chubby, chunky, heavyset, pudgy, squat, stocky, stout, stubby, stumpy, sturdy, thickset, weighty

muscle-bound

corpulent, fat, fleshy, full, gross, obese, overweight, plump, portly, roly-poly, rotund, round, tubby

Synonym Discussion of lanky

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh. lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.
    • a lean racehorse
spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.
    • the gymnast's spare figure
lank implies tallness as well as leanness.
    • the lank legs of the heron
lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.
    • a lanky youth, all arms and legs
gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.
    • a prisoner's gaunt face
rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.
    • a rawboned farmer
scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.
    • a scrawny chicken
    • skinny street urchins

Learn More about lanky

  1. See words that rhyme with lanky Dictionary: Definition of lanky Spanish Central: Translation of lanky Nglish: Translation of lanky for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lanky for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up lanky? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

repartee

amusing and light sparring with words

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. synergy Mueller files Cohen details.

  2. slumgullion From the broadcast of 'It Happened on Fifth Avenue'

  3. endgame Marvel's Avengers: Endgame

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games