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Synonyms

stalky

American  
[staw-kee] / ˈstɔ ki /

adjective

stalkier, stalkiest

  1. abounding in stalks.

  2. stalklike; long and slender.

stalky British  
/ ˈstɔːkɪ /

adjective

  1. like a stalk; slender and tall

  2. having or abounding in stalks

"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

  • stalkily adverb
  • stalkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of stalky

First recorded in 1545–55; stalk 1 + -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.

Tribal youths worked with elders to harvest tule — a stalky plant native to California’s wetlands — and use it to build traditional boats.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

"There's no goodness in it, it's just completely stalky with no nutritional value at all."

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

They were out of baby’s breath, but on the floor around them were buckets of thousands of donated blooms — fragrant lilies, roses and carnations, blue delphinium, stalky allium and green bells of Ireland.

From Washington Post • May 30, 2022

In the distance, behind the patch of soy stubble, Dobson pointed to another field filled with stalky brown plants.

From Salon • May 10, 2019

Over the edge of the deck, past the sandy dunes with feathery, stalky plants, Cat could see for miles.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

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.