as in plump
having a large protruding abdomen
not surprisingly, the new Hollywood biopic casts a young, athletically trim actor in the role of the paunchy, balding artist
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Recent Examples of paunchy
Colin Farrell looks less like himself than ever in The Lobster, a movie in which the attractive leading man is transformed into a schlubby, paunchy character sporting a big mustache and corrective lenses.
—
Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
The paunchy man’s head was resting on the general’s left leg.
—Vladimir Sorokin, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022
Unlike castrati of the 17th and 18th centuries — always beardless, and typically tall and paunchy — Mariño is short and lithe, and was already sporting a five o’clock shadow on a recent afternoon walk with Leia, his Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
—New York Times, 27 May 2022
The father, Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour), is now a bearded and paunchy Soviet-era superhero known as Red Guardian, the counterpart of Captain America.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for paunchy
Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2023
The paunchy man’s head was resting on the general’s left leg.
—Vladimir Sorokin, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022
Unlike castrati of the 17th and 18th centuries — always beardless, and typically tall and paunchy — Mariño is short and lithe, and was already sporting a five o’clock shadow on a recent afternoon walk with Leia, his Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
—New York Times, 27 May 2022
The father, Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour), is now a bearded and paunchy Soviet-era superhero known as Red Guardian, the counterpart of Captain America.
—Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for paunchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paunchy
Adjective
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The chili verde is soft and succulent and the plump chicken pairs well with any of the three salsas brought to the table.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Unlike the ones now rotting on Ian Chandler’s farm, these had a chance to be harvested by hand and are in their prime — plump and juicy and ready to eat.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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If my family mocked me for being fat as a child, then that was true.—
Akwaeke Emezi
August 18,
Literary Hub,
18 Aug. 2025
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This may be because fat tissue in the body affects hormone levels.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That’s not to say that the potbellied courthouse stooges of Norfolk County can’t rig the case.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
12 June 2025
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Perun summoned a potbellied officer from the T.D.F. brigade to the operations center.—
Luke Mogelson,
The New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Paunchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paunchy. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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