as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lanky
Much credit should go to the lanky redhead, who navigated the tricky tone of the post-wildfire Oscars as nimbly as any host of the 21st century could have.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2025
Working out must be tricky for someone with CIPA, and Quaid has a tall, lanky quality that suggests a smiley scarecrow — but what a smile, combining the best of parents Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid!
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
In the middle is Toledo, 32, lanky and thoughtful as always, with an N95 mask and long hair hiding much of his face.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
The tall, lanky right-hander’s fastball hit 99 MPH on multiple occasions but at times failed to hit the mark.
—Andrew Wagner, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Nate Jones, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2025
Working out must be tricky for someone with CIPA, and Quaid has a tall, lanky quality that suggests a smiley scarecrow — but what a smile, combining the best of parents Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid!
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
In the middle is Toledo, 32, lanky and thoughtful as always, with an N95 mask and long hair hiding much of his face.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
The tall, lanky right-hander’s fastball hit 99 MPH on multiple occasions but at times failed to hit the mark.
—Andrew Wagner, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lanky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lanky
Adjective
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Egon Schiele had his thing for gaunt girls and their undergarments.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
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Tall and thin, bordering on gaunt, he was dressed in blue jeans, a flannel shirt, an old Army jacket, work boots, gloves and a blue wool cap.—
Alanna Nash,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here are the shoes to wear with skinny jeans to look chic in Spring 2025.—
Renata Joffre,
Glamour,
19 Apr. 2025
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Martinis are flowing and skinny French fries are arriving on small plates.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Add pops of red to a neutral space or a spindly chair to capture cottage chic in your room.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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When growing basil indoors on a sunny windowsill, give pots a quarter turn weekly to expose all sides to the sun and ensure seedlings won't be pale and spindly.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The rangy 6-foot-4 player is considered a four-star recruit and a top 70 player in the nation, according to 247Sports.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2025
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Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan — Gone is maligned general manager Trent Baalke, and so too are his parameters for building out a defense with long, rangy athletes.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
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Between a mixture of players moving on, injuries and lack of experience, the wide receiver room is looking thin heading into 2025.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Light pruning results in a gangly, unkempt plant by midsummer.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Apr. 2025
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Nate leaps into action-hero mode, and the film’s mayhem blowouts include a multi-weapon melee in a restaurant kitchen, leaving our gangly hero horribly burned but quite chipper about it, since his adversary is less fortunate.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The borer is essentially a narrow drill that extracts a slender core from a living tree without killing it.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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For his slender frame (6-foot-1, 181 pounds), his timed speed is below average and could force teams to look elsewhere.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lanky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lanky. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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