as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lanky
Another lanky and elastic player who played that aggressive form of defensive tennis.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 7 July 2025
The young prince, now a lanky and somewhat awkward teenager, enrolled at the University of Tsukuba in April.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
Brown basilisk: These 2-foot lizards are lanky and athletic, and have a leathery crest on their head and down their back.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2025
With his wavy brown hair, standing a lanky 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, Grant Solomon looked the part of a pitcher.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 7 July 2025
The young prince, now a lanky and somewhat awkward teenager, enrolled at the University of Tsukuba in April.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
Brown basilisk: These 2-foot lizards are lanky and athletic, and have a leathery crest on their head and down their back.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2025
With his wavy brown hair, standing a lanky 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, Grant Solomon looked the part of a pitcher.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
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Larry Shapiro, Calgary, Alberta Hamas has no conscience Seeing the sickly, gaunt faces of the three Israeli hostages released by Hamas in Gaza on Feb. 8 presented a clear picture of the loathing and deep hostility their abductors felt for them.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
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The body of Jesus hangs like a lifeless, gaunt and emaciated husk.—
Mike Lowenberg,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Many have been quick to draw a connective throughline between the revival of trends like skinny jeans and bandage dress with the increasing accessibility of Ozempic and other GLP-1 injectables.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
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Nothing fires up Google’s algorithm quite like talk of the return of skinny jeans, but for fall/winter 2025 designers are conspiring to relaunch another dormant Noughties trend: slouchy boho boots that puddle around the ankles and fold over the calves.—
Emma Spedding,
Vogue,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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These spindly designer picks will look right at home year-round and can elevate a space, inside or out.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
29 July 2025
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Overall, his spindly frame needs some filling out to help in battles, even though he’s shown a willingness to stick his nose into those.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Michael Giacchino’s excellent and subtly rangy musical score is a big plus.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
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Standing seven inches above the Filipino’s 5-foot-5 frame, Barrios, the tallest opponent Pacquiao ever fought, weaponizes his physical gifts with fundamentals like a stiff and rangy jab, a dangerous counter right and meaningful body punches.—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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Light cushioning maximizes comfort and support in the arch of your foot, while keeping its thin profile.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Travel + Leisure,
24 July 2025
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Armstrong provides another veteran depth option to vie for a roster spot in a position group that’s already thin and now ailing.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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And for the current Bulls front office, that prototype is crystal clear — gangly, teenage wings who offer the potential of versatile playmaking in a raw, unproven package.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
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But a local coach nicknamed Taha noticed a gangly, tall-for-his-age 7-year-old and invited him to play for the AAU program Banneker Kings.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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What’s Next in The Night Sky Just two mornings later, on July 23, a very slender waning crescent moon will rise near Jupiter in deep twilight, low in the east-northeast just before sunrise.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
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There's just one real road that runs up and down this slender stretch of coast due to Tulum's quick growth, making navigating a breeze (but traffic is nothing less than hectic for much of the day).—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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