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

“That was just stunning to me,” said the folksy Collinsworth, still lanky and boyish at 66.

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Weeks, who is a lanky 6 feet 5 inches tall, acts giddy on the factory floor, chatting with employees just steps away from towering machines churning out products at 1,450 degrees Celsius.

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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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Related Words

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