1
as in stout
being compact and broad in build and often short in stature
dumpy little toddlers growing into lanky children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
we could only find rooms at a dumpy motel on the outskirts of the city
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dumpy
At the start of the production, when Blanche arrives at her sister’s dumpy apartment, a lithe young man (Jabez Sykes) contorts himself in abstract choreography.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
In context, Franklin was critiquing a rather dumpy drawing of an eagle lacking a regal beak by the Society of the Cincinnati, which had adopted the nation’s bird as its symbol.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
In the premiere, Martha is made to look as dumpy and pathetic—and then as unhinged—as possible.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
In fact, it was released during the slightly less dumpy dump month of February — on February 13, 1991, with nationwide sneak previews on February 2, 1991.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dumpy
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
In context, Franklin was critiquing a rather dumpy drawing of an eagle lacking a regal beak by the Society of the Cincinnati, which had adopted the nation’s bird as its symbol.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
In the premiere, Martha is made to look as dumpy and pathetic—and then as unhinged—as possible.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
In fact, it was released during the slightly less dumpy dump month of February — on February 13, 1991, with nationwide sneak previews on February 2, 1991.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumpy
Adjective
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Layne faced a really stout Michigan defense in the season opener and predictably struggled, throwing three interceptions in a 34-17 loss.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Singing onstage at New York’s Beacon Theatre or puttering around her house in Brittany, Birkin appears shorter and stouter, with thin lips and sunspots.—
Anahid Nersessian,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, several existing dilapidated buildings on the site will be demolished and their concrete recycled and partly reused to realize the new structures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
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Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The formula gets bonus points for not feeling sticky, not traveling or feathering, and smoothing out lip lines for a plump, pouty effect.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The prickly pear extract soothe irration and the brand’s signature VIP O2 complex evens your skin tone and hydrates without any tightness, leaving your face plump, clean, and ready for anything.—
Tanya Akim,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Same premise as the exterior, but even more important: Don’t buy a car with a neglected interior.—
Jimmy Camp,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
With the costume’s feet at knee-level, an elevated stage (and smoke machine) helped give the appearance that Klum was walking around on E.T.’s characteristically stumpy legs.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN,
1 Nov. 2024
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The heron turns out to be a stumpy man in a costume.—
Moeko Fujii,
The New Yorker,
2 May 2024
Adjective
-
However, Schwarber looks like a player right out of the old school with his stocky build.—
John Perrotto,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
During the poker game, Bowyer and one of his friends, a stocky guy named Michael Greenberg who had been a fixture at those long-ago high school poker games, began talking to a man seated at the card table.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Fall sowing encourages sturdy plants and earlier blooms, which can be quite beneficial in hot Southern climes.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
15 Sep. 2025
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The sturdy plastic housings resist fading and cracking and are brown in color to blend with most outdoor surfaces.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the hands were too thick and the fingers were too stubby, and then some were too thin and the fingers were too long.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Butler is a victim of a sinister moral panic, one in which small and jealous spirits tore down the highest targets their stubby little souls could reach.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumpy. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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