portly
rather heavy or fat; stout; corpulent.
Archaic. stately, dignified, or imposing.
Origin of portly
1Other words from portly
- port·li·ness, noun
- un·port·ly, adjective
Words Nearby portly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use portly in a sentence
How many Benny Hill scenes involved the creepy, portly man zooming about perilously near an unfathomably stacked woman?
The portly, balding Sabah, a father of two, glances nervously at the television.
A moment later I saw my scowling taxi driver darting toward the ticket booth with a companion, a portly man in a checked shirt.
From Alec “The Bloviator” Baldwin to “portly pepperpot” Monica Lewinsky, revisit his chief rogue targets.
He was a big man, and looked bigger than he was; good-looking too; ruddy, portly, well-dressed and formal.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
In appearance he was tall and portly, and his bearing, carriage and presence were gentlemanly and refined.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowA portly woman, whom Isabel knew to be the mother of a brood, was far more anxious to please.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonMadame Valmonde bent her portly figure over Desiree and kissed her, holding her an instant tenderly in her arms.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinAs he was old and portly, and I young and spare, this disguise had cost me no little thought and labor.
The Staircase At The Hearts Delight | Anna Katharine Green (Mrs. Charles Rohlfs)
British Dictionary definitions for portly
/ (ˈpɔːtlɪ) /
stout or corpulent
archaic stately; impressive
Origin of portly
1Derived forms of portly
- portliness, noun
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
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