ganglier; gangliest
1
b
: long and thin
His linen suit was appropriately rumpled … and his gangly legs were jacked up against the glove box, as he resisted suggestions to slide his seat back.—
Cara Buckley
Cara Buckley2
of a plant
: having a tall and sparse appearance : lacking fullness
These tall (to 8 feet), sometimes gangly shrubs bear cup-shaped, strong-scented flowers.—Michael MacCaskey
Michael MacCaskeyExamples of gangly in a Sentence
a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Bringing a skittish, awkward energy that contrasted with Letterman’s deadpan persona, O’Brien constantly made fun of his own gangly appearance and inappropriateness for the job.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The stars here, however, are the gangly, majestic pink flamingos feeding in estuary grasses.
—Alex Crevar, New York Times, 11 July 2024
The reasons are partly anthropomorphic — these large, gangly birds are fiercely protective of their young, and the fathers stay behind to rear the chicks after the mothers fly on to central Mexico or some other wintering grounds.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangly
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David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Bringing a skittish, awkward energy that contrasted with Letterman’s deadpan persona, O’Brien constantly made fun of his own gangly appearance and inappropriateness for the job.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The stars here, however, are the gangly, majestic pink flamingos feeding in estuary grasses.
—Alex Crevar, New York Times, 11 July 2024
The reasons are partly anthropomorphic — these large, gangly birds are fiercely protective of their young, and the fathers stay behind to rear the chicks after the mothers fly on to central Mexico or some other wintering grounds.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangly
Cite this Entry
“Gangly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangly. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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