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Synonyms

chubby

American  
[chuhb-ee] / ˈtʃʌb i /

adjective

chubbier, chubbiest

  1. round and plump.

    a chubby child; a chubby face.
    Synonyms:
    roly-poly, fleshy, heavy, pudgy
    Antonyms:
    skinny, thin, svelte, lean
chubby British  
/ ˈtʃʌbɪ /

adjective

  1. (esp of the human form) plump and round

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • chubbily adverb
  • chubbiness noun

Etymology

Origin of chubby

First recorded in 1605–15; chub + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In early scenes, he has a small curved line denoting a chubby chin, which changes over time to straight lines on each cheek, narrowing his face when he is old and infirm.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Think gingerbread men, only soft, chubby, and less fearful.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

I was a bit chubby as a child, but I quickly became a sporty, suburban kid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025

He was the chubby kid at Sedbergh, told he would not make a county cricketer because he was not fit enough in the field.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025

There was a three-tiered pink-and-white cake, draped in fondant and topped with a sugar figurine of a baby holding the number 1 in its chubby hands.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.