GANGLY Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

gangly

adjective

ˈgaŋ-glē

Definition of gangly

as in gaunt

being tall, thin and usually loose-jointed a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball

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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 gangly In the first half, Jokic was minus-22 when the gangly center was on the court, continuing an alarming trend in the series. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026 Later that year, shortly before I was born, Murphy -- then a gangly catcher with an erratic arm and power at the plate -- made his major league debut. — Rick Klein, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025 Before Roosevelt, there was 6-foot-4 Abraham Lincoln, a gangly, spindly wrestler who is reputed to have lost only one fight over a dozen years. — Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 But a new study published recently in Ecology and Evolution has compiled observations showing that the gangly arachnids (also called harvestmen) have an appetite for flesh—or at least for frog legs. — Jake Buehler, Scientific American, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for gangly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangly

Adjective

The church’s punishment, however, delivered in front of the congregants, is an eerie ritual performed by a gaunt, severe visitor (Nicholas Hope).

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of gaunt

Adjective

Gray, a lanky man with a gray mustache, volunteers as a docent at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, just across from Boeing Field.

— Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Green's first two seasons in college went according to script and the lanky downfield threat was as good as advertised, earning first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back years.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

His register has the ability to do justice to Mercury’s legendary vocals, which were rangy yet specific.

— David John Chávez, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Wideman, one of our more prolific and fascinating novelists, wrote a rangy memoir of his own court time back in 2003.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026

Definition of rangy

Adjective

The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.

— STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 July 2026
Sprinkle the entire rug with a thin layer of baking soda and wait 20 minutes.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 July 2026

Definition of thin

Browse Nearby Words

gangling

gangly

gangrene

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“Gangly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangly. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of gangly

adjective

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