as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
spindly, underfed dogs roamed the poverty-stricken village
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Recent Examples of spindly
There dense clouds of dust and spindly filaments of cold molecular gas, the basic matter from which stars form, encircle the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.
—
Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2026
Despite the novelty of this world having been exhausted on me long ago, seeing twelve identical borzois in a row, echoing the ornate, spindly verticality of a Gothic revival palace, still tripped me out.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Cut yourself a big bouquet and trim spindly, dead or crossing branches to encourage better blooms this spring.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
One is a spindly stick about 2 1/2 feet long that could have been used for digging in the mud.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2026
Despite the novelty of this world having been exhausted on me long ago, seeing twelve identical borzois in a row, echoing the ornate, spindly verticality of a Gothic revival palace, still tripped me out.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Cut yourself a big bouquet and trim spindly, dead or crossing branches to encourage better blooms this spring.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
One is a spindly stick about 2 1/2 feet long that could have been used for digging in the mud.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
Adjective
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Lie’s Evans is gaunt and distant, a shy man hidden behind a veil of cigarette smoke, unable to process — or even express — his grief.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
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Nitibhon, a Thai supermodel, plays her tycoon as comically drab, keeping her gaunt cheeks slack to emphasize her character’s hollowness.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To style skinny jeans in a way that feels more 2026 than 2016, wear them under a dress or with kitten heels and a blazer.—
Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar,
Glamour,
24 Mar. 2026
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Her neutral-toned, matte-finish makeup, strappy black tank top, and skinny sunglasses are also very ‘90s, so thanks for the weekend glam inspo, Selena!—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Aaron, a lanky public defender and former college football kicker, led off.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Scarborough is also a long, lanky right-hander from central Florida, and like deGrom, his fastball is a real weapon.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The early transition reflects a broader reality across Summit County, where thin snowpack and warm temperatures have shortened the ski season and pushed some winter operations to close early.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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The study also has implications for applications such as thin-film electronics and actuators.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
16 Oct. 2024
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Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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What to know about wood storks These gangly birds are sometimes called flintheads or ironheads because of their distinctive heads and necks.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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War was coming, but for her father, Eberhard, then a gangly teenager, life in Hawaii was an endless summer.—
David Martin,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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There’s something about the clincher in a 2-0 win, when the opposition has been pressing for an equaliser with tension mounting as your slender lead starts to look precarious.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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For example, a stop sign might as well be a tall, slender man with a large red hat!—
Etiido Uko
March 14,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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