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
Lean and lethally witty Adam Godley plays middle son Mayer, the perfect counterpoint to Beale’s paunchy patriarch.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 14 Oct. 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
Lean and lethally witty Adam Godley plays middle son Mayer, the perfect counterpoint to Beale’s paunchy patriarch.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 14 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for paunchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paunchy
Adjective
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All of this bounty was contained in a tortilla that is pleasingly plump without being structurally compromised.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
-
There were black burlat cherries, plump apricots, a basket of fragrant strawberries.—
Danielle Postel-Vinay,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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McRib nutritional facts Per McDonald's nutritional facts, a McRib has 520 calories, 28 grams of fat, 24 grams of protein and 46 grams of carbs.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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Many of those fish were taken in the fall, when mullet were fat with roe.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The farm is home to goats, Holstein cows, potbellied and kune kune pigs, donkeys, sheep, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, guinea fowl, guinea pigs, geese, chickens, a Shetland pony, and a Shire horse.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Paunchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paunchy. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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