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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And three, plump, dark, juicy blackberries dotting vines all across the South just waiting to be turned into a fresh-out-of-the-oven cobbler.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
4 Aug. 2025
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The cream is often recommended by the pros as one of the top—and most accessible—wrinkle fillers to keep the skin plump between procedures.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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As if the fleeting raindrops themselves were fat, lazy flies.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Peabody closed Tuesday at $17.34, and the stock pays a dividend yield of 1.7% — fatter than the S & P 500 yield of 1.18%.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
23 July 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 7 Aug. 2025.
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