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 One does not hire Bill Skarsgård unless one is looking for a lanky, off-putting weirdo. Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025 Visit in spring for a chance to see the road lined with tall and lanky Big Bend bluebonnets. Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025 The long, lanky edge-setter forced a pressure early in the game to get Texans QB Davis Mills to throw an off-the-mark target down the field. Charlotte Observer, 16 Aug. 2025 The same car described in public advisories as the suspect’s vehicle was parked in front of Lupita’s Beauty Salon & Barber Shop, where a lanky man with stringy blonde hair walked in and asked for a fade. Andy Rose, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
  • And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.
    WAFAA SHURAFA, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Struggling to put on a pair of tight skinny jeans has become a thing of the past.
    Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025
  • On a first-and-10 from the UC 34-yard line, Arnold took a shotgun snap and hit receiver Sean Lander on a skinny post for a 34-yard touchdown.
    Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a spare dining room with concrete ceilings and spindly pendant lights, chef-owners Maria Teresa Gallina and Nicolas Martinez serve only what excites them most.
    The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Light pruning can be done again in the fall to remove spindly branches that could break under snow or ice.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Forged in the crucible of loss, tension, and a cold New York winter, the trio’s sixth record, Double Infinity, became rangy, loose, and eerily calming.
    Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The fashion statement of the rangy frontman served a more practical purpose when three-fourths through the two-hour show, a torrent of wind whipped through the stadium, bringing with it a chilly downpour that would last the duration of the concert.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Leaders who pay attention to these lessons now will be best prepared to thrive in a world where the boundaries between Earth and orbit are becoming ever thinner.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • 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.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • This further shrank the already slender Republican House majority.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • There are several superstar cameos, and they’re nicely integrated into the movie’s slender plot.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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