pudgy
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pudgy
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
To be pudgy is to be chubby and short. Baby piglets are sometimes pudgy, but not the runts. Pudgy can describe body parts, too, like a baby’s pudgy cheeks. When you're pudgy, you're a little overweight and short. Many children are pudgy, though they usually outgrow the baby fat. Being pudgy is often associated with being cute. For example, bulldogs and pugs are pudgy dogs — they have squat, round bodies that are adorable.
Vocabulary lists containing pudgy
Ghost Boys
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Red Kayak
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lucky Broken Girl
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The slightly pudgy version who arrived in Los Angeles last year was already a superstar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
Jintana wasn’t worried at first as Gustun grew pudgy.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2024
It retold the story of a young, pudgy 20-year-old from Etchohuaquila, Sonora, whose iconic screwball helped earn the franchise its fourth championshi, and forever transformed the makeup of the team’s fan base.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2023
A tavern pie bears little resemblance to its pudgy, deep-dish cousin.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2023
Through his father's jacket, the arm felt pudgy and soft.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
I’ll be a little paler and a little pudgier.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2020
In his second term, a visibly pudgier Garcia oversaw explosive economic growth.
From Reuters ● Apr. 17, 2019
But the devotional words today go to a cuddlier, pudgier lover of show tunes who speaks not in the cadences of Upper Manhattan but of Greater London.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 13, 2016
Maybe longer, pudgier and rolled up with rice, protein and vegetables? You know, kind of like a burrito?
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2016
They rode the elevator up to Citra’s apartment with a pudgy woman with a pudgier pug, who was positively terrified.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
"This one," she said, holding up the pudgiest bundle, "because this is the china cat, and I want Joel to have that."
From Five Little Peppers Abroad by Margaret Sidney
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
