as in gaunt
being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed
spindly, underfed dogs roamed the poverty-stricken village
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Recent Examples of spindly
Two dense clusters of the spindly florals become a bikini-tie top, worn with an open-front catsuit that looks like it was drawn directly onto the models body.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025
Listing photos suggest even the décor is unchanged: spindly furniture, oil paintings, and, in that dining room, the kind of plush fabric wall coverings that entice curious fingertips in the decorative wing of the Met.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 July 2024
Plants receiving adequate light will produce dense, attractive new growth but the previous growth will always look spindly.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2025
The trees were all short and spindly, leaned a bit too much or were thin on one side.
—Greg Borowski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025
Listing photos suggest even the décor is unchanged: spindly furniture, oil paintings, and, in that dining room, the kind of plush fabric wall coverings that entice curious fingertips in the decorative wing of the Met.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 July 2024
Plants receiving adequate light will produce dense, attractive new growth but the previous growth will always look spindly.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2025
The trees were all short and spindly, leaned a bit too much or were thin on one side.
—Greg Borowski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
Adjective
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In the distance, a line of tall gaunt leafless trees becomes visible.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
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Stepping out from a white van, the Israeli civilian looked gaunt and frightened.—
Mick Krever,
CNN,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cate Mid-Rise Clover Ankle Skinny Jean Love it or hate it, skinny jeans are making a comeback.—
Melony Forcier,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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After years of skinny jeans and wide-leg cuts taking over the market, the bootcut is having a renaissance, thanks partly to Kendrick Lamar wearing a pair during the halftime of Super Bowl LIX.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Much credit should go to the lanky redhead, who navigated the tricky tone of the post-wildfire Oscars as nimbly as any host of the 21st century could have.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
8 Mar. 2025
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Working out must be tricky for someone with CIPA, and Quaid has a tall, lanky quality that suggests a smiley scarecrow — but what a smile, combining the best of parents Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid!—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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About a month after your peach tree blooms, thin out fruit.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Mar. 2025
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Staying hydrated helps thin mucus and clear congestion.6 Adults should aim to drink between 9 and 13 cups of fluids daily.—
Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN,
Verywell Health,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
16 Oct. 2024
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Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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Nate leaps into action-hero mode, and the film’s mayhem blowouts include a multi-weapon melee in a restaurant kitchen, leaving our gangly hero horribly burned but quite chipper about it, since his adversary is less fortunate.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2025
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The gangly physicality of Pellerin’s performance also helps keep us guessing about how far Matt will go and whether his victories will hold.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
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Scattered across a chain of subtropical islands in southwestern Japan, buried under rocks, or deep within the region’s humid soil, researchers discovered seven new species with segmented bodies and dozens of slender legs.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
19 Mar. 2025
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Plus, its slender base can slide under chairs, sofas, and beds, minimizing its footprint and keeping its contents as close as needed.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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