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Synonyms

lanky

American  
[lang-kee] / ˈlæŋ ki /

adjective

lankier, lankiest

  1. ungracefully thin and rawboned; bony; gaunt.

    a very tall and lanky man.
lanky British  
/ ˈlæŋkɪ /

adjective

  1. tall, thin, and loose-jointed

"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

  • lankily adverb
  • lankiness noun

Etymology

Origin of lanky

First recorded in 1660–70; lank + -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.

Man, if my chest hair wasn’t going visibly gray and I was instead a lanky, chiseled Zoomer with a hit LP I might feel the same way about top buttons.

From Los Angeles Times

But he had to work hard to tame the lanky 24-year-old, who showed his potential with a maiden ATP title last year.

From Barron's

It’s all they’ve been hearing about this lanky teenager for months now.

From Salon

“People think I’m on drugs because of my appearance,” says Joe H., a lanky, long-haired brunette holding an electric guitar on his lap.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I really love it," the lanky 14-year-old said, "because I can talk in person with my classmates again."

From Barron's

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.