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
The mountains on either side of the water give way to towering canyon walls, spruce and pine thin out, and only stout dwarf willow and spindly alder remain.
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Chloe Berge, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
The doe’s eyes blinked on either side of a spindly trunk.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside, 15 Oct. 2025
Now, the 36-year-old grower, who inherited the generational plot from his father, can only wave his arm dejectedly at row after row of weak, spindly stems, the result of catastrophic floods that swept the South Asian nation’s agricultural heartland to a degree not experienced in three decades.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2025
Evolution has adapted the digits of mammals for an enormous range of uses, from our opposable thumbs to the spindly digits that support bat wings to the robust bones that support the hoofs of horses.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spindly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spindly
Adjective
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During the conversation, Van Der Beek opened up about the overwhelming response to his gaunt appearance during September's Dawson's Creek reunion.—
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Van Der Beek's notably gaunt face sparked speculation about his condition amid his cancer battle.—
Adjective
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Bongiovi wore a red, velvet suit with a skinny black tie to the premiere and the after-party.—
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Style them with a pleated skirt and sweater for a preppy edge, pull them over skinny jeans for a streamlined look, or pair them with a sweater dress for date night.—
Adjective
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Sampson is a lanky 6-foot-4 guard.—
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Native to Mexico, these flowering plants are somewhat lanky shrubs in their natural habitat.—
Adjective
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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.—
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Yimobra Memory Foam Bath Mat, $9 with Prime The bath mat is made from memory foam that feels plush underfoot and cushions each step, unlike thin cotton mats.—
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.—
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Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.—
Adjective
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War was coming, but for her father, Eberhard, then a gangly teenager, life in Hawaii was an endless summer.—
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Almost immediately, the long legs, tail, and gangly frame didn’t match that breed.—
Adjective
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There’s also a secret pocket in the waistband for storing small slender items like credit cards or an ID.—
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There’s more to the TV than its ultra-slender dimensions, though.—
Cite this Entry
“Spindly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spindly. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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