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

Still, Ginger warms to him, confiding that she’s been followed around the ceremony by two men — a lanky guy with a neck tattoo and a brawnier guy with a penchant for Werther’s Originals.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The lanky 20-year-old power forward is an elite puck transporter (98th percentile for zone entries), has outrageously quick hands and can break games open with his creativity and ability to beat defenders one-on-one.

— Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lanky

Adjective

The question here is no longer whether routine HR tasks can be automated, but whether a lean enterprise can entirely decouple structural governance from human oversight.

— Syed Ahmad, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Now after some very lean years, UConn football is being talked about.

— Eric Womack, Hartford Courant, 18 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

Related Stories Arriving to Southwark Crown Court, Brand wore a grey suit, white shirt and grey skinny tie.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
On a Wednesday afternoon at Ralphs on Pico Boulevard, a skinny, six-foot-tall tower of sensors rolled through the aisles.

— Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 15 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of big-boned

adjective

Example Sentences

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