stubby

adjective

stub·​by ˈstə-bē 

stubbier; stubbiest

1

: abounding with stubs

2

a

: resembling a stub : being short and thick

stubby fingers

b

: being short and thickset : squat

c

: being short, broad, or blunt (as from use or wear)

an old stubby pencil

Synonyms

• chunky
• dumpy
• heavyset
• squat
• squatty
• stocky
• stout
• stumpy
• thickset

Examples of stubby in a Sentence

hands with thick stubby fingers

My dog has a short stubby tail.

Recent Examples on the Web

The West’s stubby, iconic sagebrush is the single biggest ecosystem in the Lower 48, but half of it has been lost or degraded over the last 20 years. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024

Someone must be stuck being gangly and awkward, with stubby little dodo wings that never fly, only flap. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stubby

adjective

stub·​by ˈstəb-ē 

: resembling a stub especially in shortness and broadness

stubby fingers