lanky

adjective

ˈlaŋ-kē 

lankier; lankiest

: ungracefully tall and thin

lankily

ˈlaŋ-kə-lē 

adverb

lankiness

ˈlaŋ-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• gangling
• gangly
• rangy
• spindling
• spindly

Choose the Right Synonym for lanky

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Examples of lanky in a Sentence

the lanky basketball star was great at slam-dunking

Recent Examples on the Web

The star of the team, a lanky, brooding kid named Nataanii (Kusem Goodwind), has recently lost his mother and his sister in a drunk-driving accident. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

Shealy announces after taking a deep whiff - and the creature itself, tall, lanky and slightly auburn, bounding through the woods. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024

And the idea of a taller, lankier Ellie for the five year time jump between games is not going to happen given that Bella Ramsey was not going to grow past 5’1. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

O’Rourke was a lanky, foulmouthed progressive, and became a celebrity overnight; documentary cameras followed him everywhere. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lanky

adjective

ˈlaŋ-kē 

lankier; lankiest

: being tall, thin, and usually loose-jointed

a lanky teenager

lankily

-kə-lē 

adverb

lankiness

-kē-nəs 

noun