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Synonyms

leggy

American  
[leg-ee] / ˈlɛg i /

adjective

leggier, leggiest

  1. having awkwardly long legs.

  2. having long, attractively shaped legs.

    a group of tanned, leggy swimmers.

  3. of, relating to, or characterized by showing the legs.

    a leggy stage show.

  4. (of plants) long and thin; spindly.

leggy British  
/ ˈlɛɡɪ /

adjective

  1. having unusually long legs

  2. (of a woman) having long and shapely legs

  3. (of a plant) having an unusually long and weak stem

  4. (esp of a sportsperson) sluggish or fatigued; having tired legs

"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

  • legginess noun

Etymology

Origin of leggy

First recorded in 1780–90; leg + -y 1

Explanation

When a person is described as leggy, it means they have very long legs. If your little sister is extremely tall and leggy for her age, you might suggest that she try out for the school basketball team. When a lovely woman is described as leggy, it's usually in an admiring way: "I felt like New York was full of leggy models that weekend." If you describe a plant as leggy, it's more likely to be critical, meaning something closer to "scrawny" or "spindly." When the daisies in your garden get too leggy, you'll have to stake them or even prune them so they can grow back fuller and healthier.

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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.

He says this seriously, even though he’s striding around Streisand’s 3-acre property like a leggy teenager.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2025

Yeah, Winslow is a guy who writes hard-boiled crime fiction full of leggy, tough-talking dolls and guys with $70,000 watches and short, telegraphic sentences.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2024

Daddy longlegs, the group of splendidly leggy arachnids also known as harvestmen, have been thought to have just two eyes.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Give plants with long, leggy stems a pinch.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023

Albie Seedmore, the leggy son of a prosperous grocer, came over to their table.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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.