: tall and thin and moving with a loose-jointed awkwardness : lanky, gangling
It is a cool night in San Jose, and gangly teenagers stream toward the Gunderson gym. Chris Ballard
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
2
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
a gangly teenager who was born to play varsity basketball
Recent Examples on the WebAround a bend, Pilgrim came into view, towering over a fence beside the road: 23 feet of legs and neck covered in brown puzzle pieces, somehow both muscular and gangly. Rowan Moore Gerety, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 Because there was no way the gangly 5-foot-11 freshman with a mop of golden hair could be serious. Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022 The Frenchman arrived in Utah nearly a decade ago, gangly and unproven, confident and undeterred. Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 July 2022 At the time, Clarke said, Giddey was going through a teenage growth spurt — all gangly limbs, stiff hips and raw potential.New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 What is clear from the start is that this gangly, unassuming fellow radiates sweetness. Thr Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2022 Dewhirst was gangly, lightly bearded, and wearing an orange vest. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 27 May 2022 Glenn walked onto Lausanne’s campus a gangly, big-footed 140-pounder from Covington, Tenn., a small town of 8,863 people, per the latest census. Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 23 June 2022 With that third pick, Auerbach took a gangly 6-11 kid from Minnesota named Kevin McHale. Bob Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 1 June 2022 See More