leggier; leggiest
1
a
: having very long legs
In high school in Wareham, Mass., Davis ran track. She was tall, leggy and fast.—
Anamaria Wilson
Anamaria WilsonThe best time to view the cranes is 30 minutes before and after sunrise, just before they leave to feed for the morning. The leggy birds generally return to the wildlife area before noon, where they will remain for the rest of the day.—States News Service
States News Service
b
: having long and attractive legs
… the person with the answers is a leggy brunette dressed slickly in black.—Leon Wieseltier
Leon Wieseltier
c
: having many legs
Later, when other specialists scoured the same small area in California looking for these millipedes, they came back empty-handed. Part of the problem is that the leggy creatures are hard to see.—Emily Sohn
Emily Sohn2
: having long shoots or stems with little foliage : spindly
Both plants are somewhat leggy and therefore a bit awkward on their own but look just fine in a crowd.—Tom Peace
Tom PeaceMahonias and nandinas often get leggy and bare at the bottom as they mature.—Fred C. Galle
Fred C. GalleSeedlings become "leggy" if they don't get enough light. … The stems will stretch and grow weak if they are too far from the lights.—Rita Buchanan
—used of a plant
Rita BuchananExamples of leggy in a Sentence
The bush has gotten leggy and needs to be pruned.
Recent Examples on the Web
Easy to grow from cuttings, division, or transplants, harvest mint often to keep plants from becoming leggy and flowering.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
Thousands of the leggy birds return to England’s moors and grasslands each spring to breed.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025
Help out your leggy succulents with these must-know tips.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2025
On a Feb 7. night out in New York, Jenner’s leggy look was powered by a pair of $40 Commando leggings — specifically the brand’s The Essential Sheer Tights.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leggy
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Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
Thousands of the leggy birds return to England’s moors and grasslands each spring to breed.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025
Help out your leggy succulents with these must-know tips.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2025
On a Feb 7. night out in New York, Jenner’s leggy look was powered by a pair of $40 Commando leggings — specifically the brand’s The Essential Sheer Tights.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leggy
Cite this Entry
“Leggy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leggy. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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