portly

[pawrt-lee, pohrt-]

adjective

portlier, portliest 

1. rather heavy or fat; stout; corpulent.

2. Archaic.,  stately, dignified, or imposing.

portly

/ ˈpɔːtlɪ /

adjective

1. stout or corpulent

2. archaic,  stately; impressive

Other Word Forms

• portliness noun
• unportly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portly¹

1520–30; port ⁵ (noun) + -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of portly¹

C16: from _port ⁵ (in the sense: deportment, bearing)

Example Sentences

Veytia, a portly figure with a bushy mustache, seemed an unlikely Eliot Ness, but he was credited with reducing violence and hailed as “the terror of every criminal” in a laudatory corrido, or ballad.

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"Cyril", as he is known to some, is said to be a portly man with a very gruff voice.

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A portly gentleman celebrating the University of Missouri’s homecoming victory that weekend informed me “Everybody in America wants Trump. He’s good for the economy, hates immigrants and won’t let people like me get replaced.”

Read more on Salon

They think of the mythic Valenzuela of 1981, the shy, portly pitcher with the unorthodox delivery who conquered all by giving his all.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

By this point, the buzz and attention surrounding the portly left-hander had reached a fever pitch, and the impact was as wide as it was sudden.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beefy 
• burly 
• corpulent 
• overweight 
• stout