1
as in plump
having an excess of body fat
a portly gentleman who loved to cook for his family and friends
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2
as in imposing
having or showing a formal and serious or reserved manner
walked with the portly grace of the grande dame that she was
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portly
In Facebook groups dedicated to Texas barbecue fandom, a recently popular meme shows a portly man dancing on a stripper pole.
—
Elizabeth Findell, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2022
Made of steel, the watch had in its dial a sketch of a portly man, his face framed by round glasses and his broad shoulders clad in a wide-lapelled jacket.
—Sonia Paul, Wired, 1 Mar. 2022
That’s when the portly orphan, who was riding in the van with her, slices off her face to wear it as his own.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2022
One day, Lem held forth about H. G. Wells and Jules Verne to a portly man who turned out to run a publishing house.
—Caleb Crain, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for portly
Elizabeth Findell, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2022
Made of steel, the watch had in its dial a sketch of a portly man, his face framed by round glasses and his broad shoulders clad in a wide-lapelled jacket.
—Sonia Paul, Wired, 1 Mar. 2022
That’s when the portly orphan, who was riding in the van with her, slices off her face to wear it as his own.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2022
One day, Lem held forth about H. G. Wells and Jules Verne to a portly man who turned out to run a publishing house.
—Caleb Crain, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for portly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portly
Adjective
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Look for firm, plump blueberries with smooth skin.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
6 June 2026
-
At Pan Asian restaurant Oriental, the lobster comes to the beachside tables looking like plump scoops of ice cream, and is best ordered alongside the black pepper wagyu beef.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
There’s Chateau de Fère and Les Crayères, which is very imposing and old-fashioned; a couple of very nice funky little boutique hotels (including one owned by the Selosse family who make amazing, and amazingly priced, grower Champagne) and lots of good chambres d'hôtes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
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In person, Rowbottom is striking — tall, platinum blond, soft-spoken — though less imposing than carefully self-possessed.—
Mariella Rudi,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The review found no evidence that each cycle of weight loss and regain strips progressively more muscle than fat.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Lloyd’s long and distinguished career as an inventor and entrepreneur included an early collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Manhattan Project scientist Luis Alvarez at the former Radiation Laboratory, now the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
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Leaf, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that Middle Eastern allies of the United States recognize that Iran will likely use any money from sanctions relief to bolster its military capabilities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country had tried and failed to make FIFA’s global jamboree on seven occasions, three times coming within one match (or round) of a place in the tournament.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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The train departs from the Santa Fe Depot and traces the Arkansas River on a 24-mile round-trip journey through granite cliffs, some of which stretch more than 1,000 feet above the tracks.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portly. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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