lanky

[lang-kee]

adjective

lankier, lankiest 

1. ungracefully thin and rawboned; bony; gaunt.

   a very tall and lanky man.

lanky

/ ˈlæŋkɪ /

adjective

1. tall, thin, and loose-jointed

Other Word Forms

• lankily adverb
• lankiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lanky¹

First recorded in 1660–70; lank + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The imposingly lanky, gracefully handsome Elordi, born in Australia, has risen in profile over the last few years, thanks to roles in the hit series “Euphoria” and the psychosexual class-climbing thriller “Saltburn.”

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Still, if anyone could knock him off course, it was the lanky Italian across the net.

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The Harris’s hawks, also known as bay-winged hawks, are large, lanky raptors that breed in the southwestern U.S. and throughout South America.

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The trained birds are Harris’s hawks, also known as the bay-winged hawk, large and lanky raptors that breed from the southwestern United States and throughout South America.

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Like many young men these days, Kamaldeep Dhanoa, a lanky 17-year-old, knew he wanted to do something with his life, be a part of something, but didn’t quite know what that meant.

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Related Words

• angular 
• gangly 
• gaunt 
• rangy 
• scrawny 
• slender 
• spindly