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
Evolution has adapted the digits of mammals for an enormous range of uses, from our opposable thumbs to the spindly digits that support bat wings to the robust bones that support the hoofs of horses.
—
John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In a spare dining room with concrete ceilings and spindly pendant lights, chef-owners Maria Teresa Gallina and Nicolas Martinez serve only what excites them most.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Light pruning can be done again in the fall to remove spindly branches that could break under snow or ice.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
Bare, blackened trees with pointed, spindly limbs and black soil that felt strange underfoot, both spongy and brittle.
—River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
In a spare dining room with concrete ceilings and spindly pendant lights, chef-owners Maria Teresa Gallina and Nicolas Martinez serve only what excites them most.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Light pruning can be done again in the fall to remove spindly branches that could break under snow or ice.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
Bare, blackened trees with pointed, spindly limbs and black soil that felt strange underfoot, both spongy and brittle.
—River Selby
august 25, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
Adjective
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And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Fashionistas have been swapping their skinny jeans for this roomier, more relaxed fit, but even the most trend-savvy shoppers are still hesitant to try the polarizing silhouette for themselves.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
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The large stout trees with thick gnarling branches of a few decades ago are now flimsy bushes skinnier than hydrangeas that stand under 10 feet tall and need to be propped up with wood and steel trellises.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Earlier in the two-time MVP’s career, at-the-time head coach Jason Kidd dubbed a lanky, 6-foot-11 teenager the team’s floor general.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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That unit would sacrifice size (with no players taller than the lanky, 6-foot-8 Boucher) in the name of spacing and perimeter shooting.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The researchers overcame traditional size limitations by embedding thin but powerful actuators that respond to heat and pressure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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France’s government survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Thursday by a thin margin, giving the country a brief respite from intense political turmoil before what is expected to be another brutal battle over its budget.—
Aurelien Breeden,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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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An injured knee sidelined Misiorowski for the season, but Lallemand still considered the gangly teenager part of the team.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Brown had a gangly, disproportionate wingspan, great for ball-hawking (in basketball and football) but potentially obstructive to shooting mechanics.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The slender aspens unfurl golden banners against the dark wall of evergreens.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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The shoes featured a scalloped toe box in a pale pink hue, offset by gold slingback straps and slender matching heels.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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