BIG-BONED Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

big-boned

adjective

Definition of big-boned

as in lanky

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of big-boned Two large and in charge ladies were involved in a street fight in West Hollywood early Saturday morning that left one of the big-boned women bleeding from her face. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026 Speaking of big dude, the chair is rated for the big-boned as well. — New Atlas, 5 Dec. 2025 Jean-Yves Thibaudet was the right guest in every way for the big-boned performance at the Huntington. — Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025 The last time Jez Butterworth and Sam Mendes rode into Broadway on the back of a big-boned new play, smothered in five-star reviews and Olivier awards, there were geese, and babies, and bunnies. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for big-boned

Adjective

Asked about McDaniels after practice on Monday, before this deal was done, Ball raved about his lanky teammate's capability and compared him to a video game creation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Korean and rubellum mums grow lankier at 2-4 feet tall and look beautiful draped along a fence or in the middle of a flower border.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

Above its three-story concrete lower walls the gallery’s structure becomes a lean, self-supporting steel diagrid (think of a giant Erector Set) that wraps around the orbiter without interior walls or columns.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Centralizing institutional knowledge in a small number of staff produces a leaner organization.

— Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of lean

Adjective

Coach Jeff Hafley has called the rangy 6-foot-4 receiver day to day but said Wednesday Douglas’ ankle wasn’t quite ready for a return to practice.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Tall, agile and rangy, the 6-foot-3, 155-pound Van Dellen believes football isn’t even his best sport.

— Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of rangy

Adjective

Since the beginning of the episode, Lee’s been tailed by McMann’s skinny accomplice — the guy Ginger shot in the neck at the end of the season premiere.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
His long tusks were pale white; the bottoms of his feet splayed out wide under his skinny legs, the better to stabilize on sand.

— Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of skinny

Adjective

Yvette opens the door to Pizza City’s lone toilet, engulfing them in a bouquet of Pine-Sol and damp cinderblock and the earthier smell of the small weedy lot where the bathroom’s rear wall ought to be.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Jeon-Gi lives with his Korean family in Building A, scrapping with kids from other immigrant families in a weedy playground.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of weedy

Adjective

Dieffenbach was a wiry 6-foot-3 receiver preparing for his sophomore season in 2020 when coach Dustin Croick took over the Agoura football program.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
The stems are thin and wiry, and there are often multiple stems branching near the base.

— Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of wiry

Adjective

The front door opens to a wall of giant spindly cacti masking large south-facing windows.

— Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026
Slowly, the Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia gets to his feet and places his spindly arms around the barman, who is old enough to be his father.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of spindly

Adjective

As Jay waddles into the water, the waves seem to want to shove the reedy young man back to shore.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
The nerdiness of her team’s approach, and the general scrappiness of the entire department under the leadership of the reedy Noda, gives the movie a sweet but sad spirit of resilience in the face of terrible odds.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of reedy

Browse Nearby Words

bigamy

big-boned

big box

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“Big-boned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big-boned. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of big-boned

adjective

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