✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!
as in plump
having a well-proportioned feminine figure a shapely blonde who had a lead role in numerous Hollywood movies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 shapely Look to design super star, Ilse Crawford, for this shapely oak option. Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 2 July 2024 And for the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival, actor Marina Ruy Barbosa also wore an exuberant but shapely red gown. Allyson Portee, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2023 At our test track, the car leapt to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds; the S7—the S6's shapelier counterpart—managed to blast to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023 That practicality translates into this modern design, with every detail, from the shapely shoulders to the utilitarian pockets. Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 30 Apr. 2022 See All Example Sentences for shapely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shapely
Adjective
  • 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
  • There’s the ubiquitous sloshing of bright red hurricanes in curvaceous cocktail glasses, the sizzling of beignets in fryers and the bubbling of boiling crawfish on stovetops.
    Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The shoe differentiates itself with a half d’Orsay design that reveals the side of the foot and a curvaceous outline that adds subtle undulation to the silhouette; a stitched band is also featured across the toe.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • On a recent fall trip, magenta beautyberries dotted the curvy road, sultry summer temperatures had cooled ever so slightly, and amber and gold tinged the towering sweetgums throughout Torreya State Park.
    Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Choose a few simple but bold pieces, like this curvy armchair, sculptural side table, and oversized potted palm and silhouette them against an accent wall like this wood paneled one.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Launched from a pneumatic catapult, internal combustion engines power newer variants, extending range to 62 miles.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Using pneumatic air bags, ropes, harnesses, and other equipment, the first responders were able to separate the boulders enough that Zoe could squeeze her body out.
    Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shapely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shapely. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on shapely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!